Cruel But Beautiful
by PrincessOfTheNight93
Summary: Eleven years after the fall of Wall Maria, Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert hold leadership positions in the Survey Corps. A night of passion between Mikasa and Eren leads to problems neither are prepared for, and a betrayal threatens their longstanding friendship with Armin and his girlfriend, Annie. An ongoing Eremika and Aruani fanfiction, contains adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

"Ugh," Eren complained, cringing around himself in disgust, "I'll never understand how the hell people stand living here." Mikasa could literally taste the condescending attitudes of the citizens gathered on either side of the street as they passed. Really, that was something one simply had to get used to, and after four years in the Survey Corps, Mikasa had learned to ignore the public opinion of the role in the military that she and Eren played. She didn't let it bother her. Eren, on the other hand, wasn't capable of such reasoning. He knew that the Survey Corps were by far the most honorable and well-bonded group of people in the army and he viewed other branches, the Military Police especially, as cowards.

"We risk our lives out there while these assholes sit around all day doing nothing, and then they have the nerve to mock us?" he continued. "It's such-"

"Eren," Mikasa cut him off, giving him a warning look, "you know how they are. Don't pay them any mind." Eren glared ahead, not responding to her. Mikasa knew how much Eren hated going anywhere near Wall Sina, mainly because the people living there were insufferable and viewed the Survey Corps as little more than their tax money going toward feeding Titans. They were close-minded, arrogant, rude, and each harbored a superiority complex toward every other human being on the planet. How they managed to function in a stable society without trying to kill each other was a mystery to her.

It was rare indeed that members of the Survey Corps went this far into the interior, but today was a special occasion. Without any warning and little explanation, the Commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith, had decided to step down. He had held a meeting with the high-ranking Captains, and his choice for successor had been a shock for most people, but none so much as the boy who was to fulfill that role. As they made their way down the empty road, Armin took a deep breath. Eren noticed and moved closer to him.

"Armin, you're all nerves." The blonde gave his friend a weak smile, unable to deny what he'd just said. He was right. Armin was nervous, more nervous than he had been in a really long time. These past few weeks had been eye-opening for him. He had been informed that he was to take over as the Commander of the Survey Corps, and while that was an honor he'd never expected, he was extremely worried about it. How was he going to live to Erwin Smith, the man that had created the long-distance scouting formation, which cut the losses in the Survey Corps by thirty percent? Not only that, but Smith was a strong, proud man with a commanding presence, someone who received the loyalty and respect of his followers unconditionally. How was Armin going to compare to _that?_ He was meek and shy, known only for his intelligence and nothing else.

"Armin," Eren said again "don't worry about it. Just-" His words were cut off by a gruff, impatient voice. The man now standing in front of them was tall and middle-aged, slightly balding, and wore the emblem of the Military Police on both his shoulders.

"Arlert?" There was a trace of a smirk on his face when he looked at them, typical of the Military Police when associating with anyone from a different army, especially the Survey Corps. Mikasa could feel Eren's temper flair, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. Armin stepped forward, opening his mouth to speak, but he was cut off. "I am to escort you, and _only_ you," he shot a condescending glare at Eren and Mikasa, "to your meeting with the other Commanders." Eren looked like he was going to argue the point, but Mikasa grabbed his arm.

"We'll speak to you later, Armin," she said, walking away and dragging Eren after her.

* * *

Armin found himself seated in a room with the Commanders of the other two branches of the military, Dot Pixis of the Garrison, and Nile Bok of the Military Police. The last time Armin had seen either of them had been at least a few years ago, and while Pixis seemed to be his easygoing self, Nile was far from pleased to be here. He could see it in his face.

"Have you given any thought to the Survey Corps leadership?" he asked uncaringly, not even looking up from he paper he was reading off. "That is what we've came here to discuss today."

"I have," Armin responded immediately. He'd given much thought to this over the past couple weeks, and was confident that he'd made the right choices. First was his second-in-command, his right-hand man or woman. This person had to be, first and foremost, a superb fighter. Armin knew that was where his weakness was, and he had to choose someone capable of protecting both his life and their own. Additionally, they had to be sharp of mind, able to make fast-paced decisions, loyal yet unafraid to challenge what they saw as faults in plans, and someone who wouldn't let emotions impair them or cloud their judgment.

Ultimately, it had came to two obvious candidates, the two most skilled soldiers the Survey Corps had ever seen: Mikasa Ackerman, one of Armin's best friends, someone he had known and trusted since they were both children, or Levi, the current Captain of the Special Ops Squad and the single most accomplished fighter in the history of mankind.

"I've chosen Lance Corporal Levi as my second-in-command," Armin answered. Pixis didn't react to his words; he merely smiled, as was normal. Nile's face darkened slightly; Armin knew that he and Levi tended to be at odds with each other quite often, but, as blunt as Levi was, Armin also knew there was no one else more suited for the job. Mikasa came close, however, as much as Armin trusted her with his life and as much as she was more than capable of holding such a position, Mikasa wasn't always one to keep her wits about her when emotions came into play. It was rare, but it happened. Levi, on the other hand, was both a better fighter than Mikasa and always quelled his personal feelings, no matter how strong they became.

"And what of the Special Ops Squad?" Nile finally asked, clearly preferring Levi to stay a Captain. "I find it very hard to believe there is another soldier in your ranks that is worthy of leading such seasoned fighters in his shadow." Armin suppressed his desire to shoot a glare in his direction.

"Actually, Commander," he said, not even looking at Nile, "there is someone perfectly suited to take Levi's place as Captain of the Special Ops Squad." Unlike Armin, the Commander of the Military Police didn't even attempt to hide his irritated facial expression. "Mikasa Ackerman," he continued, "will be his replacement." His answer placed a scowl on Nile's face.

"Do you have something to say to our young new friend, Nile?" Pixis suddenly spoke up, looking at him with a slight smile on his face. "I'm sure that Arlert would love to hear your concerns about the running of the Survey Corps. You might even learn something from each other."

"My _concern,_ Pixis," he spat, "is that Erwin left an inexperienced _child_ in charge of the most dangerous and useless branch in the entire damn military." He now turned his fiery anger to Armin. "I remember Jaeger's military trial. Mikasa Ackerman is a close friend of yours, is she not?" Armin glared at him silently. "If you're going to start your time as commander by placing people with a useless lack of experience in positions that are better held by more seasoned soldiers, simply because they are friends, then this waste of tax money is even worse off than I thought." Despite his attempts to hold it back, a slight chuckle passed Armin's lips.

"With all due respect, Commander, just how many veterans do you think there are in the Survey Corps? We never have more than three-hundred soldiers at any given time, and the only people left that have more than four years of experience are Levi, Hanji Zoe, and the Special Ops Squad." That almost pained Armin to say. Yes, it was true. Since he had enlisted four years ago, they'd lost almost every Squad Leader and Captain that made up the original chain of command. They had, of course, been replaced, but that was the reality of the Survey Corps. People died, and they died frequently. Only the strongest survived.

"Mikasa Ackerman," he continued, "graduated from the 104th Trainee Corps at the top of her class four years ago and has long since proven herself capable of being a leader. She's the best soldier we have, next to Levi. I chose her for this position because she's the most able to carry it out."

"Four years?" Nile retorted. "That's nothing!"

"Actually, you're wrong." Armin's blue eyes were uncharacteristically angry. "This isn't the Military Police. Soldiers in the Survey Corps don't to live to be old and happy. Those of us that have endured our first year, even, are exceptionally talented. You don't seem to understand that just having survived four years is a feat that ninety percent of Survey Corps recruits will never be able to claim, and that makes Mikasa and her entire trainee squad, myself included, among the most experienced veterans in this army." He paused to take a breath. "And since you seem so concerned by my choices not being experienced enough, you'll be happy to hear my other Captains. That is, if I'm permitted to speak at this meeting that was intended for me to lay out my new leadership structure." Nile's eyes narrowed in dumbfounded anger, but he backed off, for the time being.

"So, Mikasa Ackerman will take Levi's place, and who she chooses for her squad will be entirely her decision, though I don't expect for her to change much."

_With the exception of adding one more person,_ Armin thought to himself in amusement. That was the real reason that Armin hadn't even considered any of the current members of Squad Levi, Petra and Auruo Bossard, Erd Gin and Gunther Schultz, for roles as Captains. The Special Ops were so successful partly due to their undying loyalty, devotion, and close bonds between one another. They had this uncanny ability to think as one mind, even without visible or verbal cues, and they'd serve most efficiently if kept together as a team, as they were now. Mikasa would understand that.

"In addition to Mikasa, I have chosen three other Captains that will serve under me directly. Hanji Zoe will keep her current position as Captain and head researcher. She will be joined by two other graduates of the 104th, Jean Kirstein and Reiner Braun. They have both earned the trust of their fellows, and are more than capable fighters." Armin stopped. Yes, he had agonized long and hard over this, and he felt his decisions were more than justified. Somehow, every single member of the 104th that had originally joined the Survey Corps had survived, despite the crushing odds against them. Annie, Eren, Mikasa, Jean, Reiner, Betholdt, Connie, Sasha, Christa, Ymir... They had all made it. It was some kind of miracle. But it almost meant that Armin had several viable options for potential Captains, though he felt that, deep down, Mikasa, Reiner and Jean were the only ones that would make good leaders.

Eren was his best friend, but he was far too reckless and emotional to have that kind of responsibility, Annie and Ymir couldn't even begin to understand the concept of "teamwork", Betholdt and Christa were too timid, Connie lacked the logical strength, and Sasha was just too carefree and out-there. Armin noticed that the other two Commanders had continued watching him expectantly.

"That's it," he said. "That's how I will be organizing the Survey Corps now." Pixis was silent, but Nile, unsurprisingly, spoke up.

"So, here are my concerns with this..." He looked down at the paper in front of him, and Armin felt a very strong urge to slam his face against the wooden table he was seated at.

_This is going to take longer than I thought._

* * *

"What the hell is taking so long?" Mikasa looked up from the frayed edges of the red scarf she was running through her fingers, mainly in boredom. It had been about three hours since Eren, tired of glaring into the smug faces of the Wall Sina citizens, had retired to the bunkhouse set aside for occasions like this, when neighboring armies visited the capital city. Of course, she had followed him, but it hadn't improved Eren's mood in the slightest. At the moment, they were in the dining hall with a few friends, and he was still sulking.

"I dunno," Connie responded in disinterest, focusing on the card game he was currently engaging Sasha in. "I guess there's probably a lot of stuff to talk about. Ya know, if both Pixis and Nile are there. It must be important."

"It's important, all right," Jean muttered, standing off to the side of the table and leaning against the wall. "They're probably rearranging the entire chain of command in the Survey Corps as we speak." He looked to Eren. "I'm surprised Armin didn't mention it to you." Eren, clearly taking offense in Jean's words somehow, flashed his eyes dangerously and opened his mouth to argue, but Mikasa cut him off.

"Telling anyone at this point would be a mistake. Armin does not want to cause strife where it's unnecessary."

"I still don't get why Armin of all people was picked to replace Erwin." Connie leaned back in his chair, tilting it on two legs. "Makes no sense to me. I mean, the kid can barely hold a blade without cringing."

"And how many Titans have _you_ killed, Connie?" Eren butted in. That got a slight chuckle out of Jean.

"More than you. As far as I know, in four years, you've killed a whopping one Titan without transforming." Eren's glare hardened. "I mean," he continued, "if we're judging worth here in Titan kills, Mikasa has us all beaten. You're nothing special, Eren."

"Hey, horse-face," Eren snapped, standing up and moving closer to Jean, "I've saved all your asses more times than I can count." Jean smirked.

"Oh, yeah, when you can actually control yourself. You know, when you're not attacking your friends and scarring them for life!"

"Here we go again," Connie muttered under his breath. Mikasa felt both Eren's and Jean's sights shift to her face, just under her left eye, where she still wore a permanent reminder of the first time Eren had willingly transformed into a full Titan form, and had immediately tried to attack her. She had escaped relatively unharmed, minus the deep red scar where a piece of debris from a building had sliced her.

"That wasn't Eren's fault," she responded, subconsciously rubbing her index finger over the unsightly cut.

"Mikasa-" Jean started to say, but she shot him a vicious glare, silencing him in seconds. This all had been four years ago, and Mikasa was mildly irritated that Jean still felt the need to constantly bring it up.

"I told you, it wasn't Eren's fault. I shouldn't have been standing so close to him when he changed. It was my mistake, and I paid for it. It was the result of my own actions, not Eren's." Eren rolled his eyes, a mixture of annoyance and guilt in his turquoise orbs. "Eren, just stop this," she scolded him, grabbing his arm and forcing him to sit back down beside her. "You two aren't children anymore. Stop behaving like it."

"Hey, Mikasa," said Sasha, speaking up for the first time, "how many Titans _have_ you killed?"

"No idea," she responded. Truth be told, she really didn't know or particularly care, but she was positive that it was far higher than anyone else in the room with her. For a moment, her eyes shifted to table on the other side of the room, where a group of five people were seated and, admittedly, being rather loud. It was the Special Ops Squad. _Well, almost everyone._

"Still," Connie piped up, "I don't think that Armin's ever even killed one. How can someone that's never killed a Titan lead an army that does nothing but fight them?"

"Armin is intelligent," a rarely heard female voice commented from the end of the table. Annie didn't even look up from whatever was on the tray in front of her. "That's why he was chosen. It should be obvious even to an idiot like you." Connie shot her a nasty glare.

"Hey, bitch, what's that supposed to-" He was cut off by a squeal of delight from Sasha, as she threw down whatever cards she was holding in triumph.

"You lose again!" Her eyes sparkled. "What's that, Connie, like twelve times in a row? I bet I could make it thirteen!" Clearly flustered, Connie tore his shocked expression from Annie.

"I was distracted!" he defended. "You're on." As Sasha began dealing out the cards again, Eren stood up, intending to leave. Mikasa followed behind him, and right as he was about to open the door, someone else entered.

"Armin?" Eren asked in surprise as his blonde friend walked past him. "What took so long?

"Welcome to politics," Armin muttered, joining his friends at the table.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Before I get started, I just wanted to address a common question from chapter one. Several people asked me where the canon events end. This story picks up four years after Eren, Mikasa and Armin join the Survey Corps, and it goes as far as the Battle of Trost and Eren's military trial. The Female Titan and any arcs beyond that have not happened. And, yes, Annie joined the Survey Corps as well. That wasn't a typo; I'm aware that she is a member of the Military Police in the actual series. Aruani fans rejoice :P**_

* * *

Five days later, they were all back in Wall Rose, at the old renovated castle miles from the nearest city that served as the Survey Corps HQ. Armin had remained quiet about his new line of command the entire while they had been in the interior, mainly because it wasn't something that anyone but the five he'd chosen needed to know. He wasn't going to start out his time as Commander playing favorites and telling friends first. He'd chosen who he had for a reason, and only they needed to know.

_Besides,_ he thought, as he walked down the hallway leading to the room where he was going to break the news, _everything Mikasa knows will get back to Eren. _That was unavoidable. They were just too close; for Armin to ever even consider that Mikasa might keep secrets from Eren would be extremely naive. Armin trusted Eren more than anyone else regardless, so he wasn't going to worry about it. He opened the door and the first person to look up at him was Mikasa.

"Sorry I kept you guys waiting," he said, making his way to the center of the room.

Mikasa's eyes followed Armin's movements. She had been able to tell about ten minutes ago just by looking at the people around her what they were here for. Now, they were all focused on the new Commander, but moments ago, Reiner and Jean had been standing by the gigantic back window, engaged in a somewhat hushed conversation, Hanji was sitting on a sofa, her mouth loudly running a mile minute, and Levi was next to her with his legs crossed and his eyes closed, not saying much of anything to anyone. It clear to her that everyone here all had something in common: experience and an aptitude on the battlefield. While she wasn't positive about the reason they'd all been summoned here, she knew Armin well enough to guess it had to do with promotions.

"You're all here," Armin said, snapping Mikasa out of her thoughts, "because you five will make up my chain of command." Everyone had their eyes on him, except Levi, who hadn't moved a muscle. Armin felt self-conscious, but continued nonetheless. "Levi," Armin looked in his direction, "you will be my second-in-command. Everybody else has been promoted to Captains, with the exception of Hanji, who will keep her position unchanged." Levi opened his perpetually angry, piercing blue eyes, though Armin couldn't tell if he was aggravated, happy, or neutral about the change. He just looked pissed off at the world.

"And Mikasa," Armin continued, "you'll be taking over leadership of the Special Ops Squad." Armin looked at his friend carefully, gauging her reaction to his words, but her face remained as calm and as uncaring as ever. He took a deep breath. "There's something else. I don't want to say this anymore than any of you want to hear it, but, since I've joined the Survey Corps, we have seen no progress in any of our missions." There was no words spoken among the group of soldiers; they all knew he was right. Ever since Eren had been discovered to have Titan shifting powers, mankind had seen a beacon of hope. Fast forward four years later, and then take into consideration that they hadn't even made it close to sealing Wall Maria, and that hope had began to fade.  
"So what are you saying, Armin?" Jean finally asked. Armin sighed.

"I'm saying that the Survey Corps is in a very delicate position right now. Some people have gotten the idea in their heads that human lives are better off being dedicated to protecting what we have left, rather than trying to re-claim what we have lost."

"They've always been like that in Sina, though," Reiner commented. "What's different this time around?"

"Eren," was all Armin had to say.

"In other words," Levi spoke up, his eyes indifferent, "people in the interior are calling for the Survey Corps to be disbanded, because Eren has proven to be far less reliable than we anticipated." A heavy atmosphere settled in the room.

"It's been a serious threat for years," Hanji said quietly. "Even long before Eren came along. So many people die, and so little progress seems to be made." She sighed. "People forget that we've learned more about them than ever before..."

"It isn't enough," Levi said. "The idiotic bureaucrats and Wallists up in Wall Sina don't give a damn about what we know. They just want progress. They want to know that their taxes are being put to good use. It has nothing to do with our lives."

"Eren bought us time," Armin added, "but the hype he created four years ago just isn't there anymore. Even the King's top advisers are starting to lose faith. I mean, I understand where they come from..." His voice trailed off.

"Yeah, me too," Jean muttered. "If a Titan can't bring us success, what can?"

"When we lose the support of the King, we lose the means to exist," Mikasa said, speaking for the fist time. Armin looked at her sadly; she'd just said what they all knew was the cold, hard truth: money was the center of everything. The rich noblemen and conservatives that lived safe lives deep in the interior, where there was no fear of Titans, had never supported the Survey Corps. It may have been ignorant of them to think that mankind was going to always be safe within these walls, especially after Wall Maria fell, but that was what they believed, and there was no changing it.

"That was part of the meeting I attended a week ago, "Armin sighed. "The Survey Corps is seeing a lack of support far lower than anything before. All the factions that used to help are long gone, and it's only because of the King we're even still here. But, as I said, even he is second-guessing. These next few months are imperative. If we can't do something soon that proves we aren't a waste of human lives and resources, we'll all be cleaning the walls by this time next year." Nobody said anything for a long time, so Armin thought it was high time to end this.

"When I've worked something out, I'll let you all know." Taking that as the cue to leave, everyone but Levi and Mikasa stood up and made it for the door. Mikasa hung back, looking at Armin. As much as she was confident in his abilities to fulfill this new job, she could tell he was tense. She'd known him long enough to see that he needed a relief from it. However, her plan backfired. As soon as she got near Armin, Levi was there was well.

"Mikasa," he said ignoring the irritation in her eyes that his presence seemed to cause, "you are more than capable of leading my squad. But, tomorrow, you will accompany me first thing in the morning on a trip."

"What-" she started to ask, but was cut off.

"You will get your explanation tomorrow." He started to walk away. "And by the way, if I don't see you at the stables tomorrow, I'll come and fetch you myself."

* * *

Several hours after the meeting, the full impact of his new responsibility hit Armin hard. There was so much he had to start thinking about, the specifically important issue being how the hell he was going to prove to the brass that the Survey Corps was not only far from ready to give up in the war against the Titans, but were _capable_ of carrying out such a feat. Over the years, they'd tried numerous times to make it to Shiganshina, but it just wasn't realistic. Erwin's recon strategy had greatly cut losses, but, still, there was always a shortage of soldiers, and never enough new recruits. Add that to the fact that there seemed to be an endless amount of Titans, that killing one was useless because there were always five more to replace it, and it was a very grim picture. It wasn't that they hadn't tried, it was just a very, very difficult goal to accomplish. They never got far before their losses forced them to turn back.

"Maybe, he muttered to himself, "we should focus on a smaller goal, just until all this gets straightened out..." Armin sighed; he had such a headache, and was positive it was caused from nothing but stress. Groaning, he looked up from the papers sprawled on the bed in front of him as he heard a gentle tapping at his door. "Yes?" he called impatiently. "Who is it?" The door opened slowly and Armin felt his stress level plummet upon seeing who now stood in the entrance.

"You seem a bit pissed," Annie observed, stepping in the room and closing the door behind her. "You've spent too much time with Mikasa today, clearly." A small laugh, his first laugh in weeks, passed Armin's mouth.

"Mikasa isn't the source of my stress, Annie," he grinned. "She's just _your_ pain in the ass."

"Damn right she is," Annie agreed, crossing the room and crawling on to the bed beside Armin. Her crystal-colored eyes fell on one of the many documents in front of him. "You've very busy, aren't you?"

"Busy doesn't even begin to describe it," Armin replied. The exhaustion in his voice was evident. "I never realized just how bad off the Survey Corps were. What if I can't come up with something fast enough to satisfy them?" Armin's face was literally flushed from the stress he was feeling. "What if I'm the one responsible for the Survey Corps' demise? What if I'm the reason mankind completely loses hope of ever leaving these walls? What if-"

"Armin, you worry too much," Annie said firmly, talking over him. She rose up to her knees and began rubbing his shoulders. "You a very intelligent person. You'll figure something out. I have faith in that brain of yours."

"I'm glad one of us does," he muttered. Annie folded her arms over his shoulders, resting her head right beside his ear.

"How have I put up with that attitude for almost three years? It must be because you've got such a cute face." Armin's cheeks blushed again, this time with embarrassment. Turning around and clearly catching her off-guard, he planted a kiss on her cheek, grinning as he saw a smile creep it's way onto Annie's face.

"Your smiles are cuter, though I think it helps that you won't do them for anyone but me."

"Yes, only for you," she agreed, forcing body weight on to him, so that he was laying under her. Both pairs of blue eyes met each other, each filled with undying devotion. Armin's heart was hammering against his chest in the way he loved so much."You are very special, Armin Arlert. If anyone else saw this side to me, I just might have to kick their ass. Just like I'd kick your ass if you ever told."

"I'm okay with not sharing your smiles," Armin beamed up at her. "No ass-kicking is necessary."

"Well," she said, looking down at him and forcing her grin into a frown, "that depends on your attitude. If I hear one more word about how much of a failure of a Commander you think you'll make, I might just have to." Armin leaned up to kiss her again.

"There's no need to be violent. I bruise easily." With an unusually large grin on Annie's face, she rolled off of him.

"What has you so worked up, Armin?" She looked back at the papers. His eyes followed hers for a moment.

"It doesn't matter. I feel fine now. Let's keep it that way." With that, he slid off the bed, picked the papers up, and sat them on the desk in the corner of his room. This could all wait until tomorrow. Annie was right; he just needed to calm down. When he looked back at the beautiful blonde, a smile came to his face.

_How did I ever manage this? _It was a mystery to Armin when exactly this spark between him and Annie had been lit, or how. She was always so cold, always behind a wall to everyone. But somehow, he had won her over. Or maybe it was her that had won him over. He wasn't sure. However, it had happened, and Armin knew that there was nobody on the planet that he'd rather be with. Annie stood up, made her way to the door, and turned the lock.

"Again?" Armin asked, raising his eyebrow. She flashed a smirk at him.

"Of course. You're still tense. I'll get those kinks out for you."

* * *

Mikasa and Eren, over the years, had become very well-acquainted with Squad Levi. Eren was undeniably the most important person to walk the earth in over a century and Erwin saw it necessary to put him with those who would keep him safest, given the dangerous nature of the Survey Corps. Mikasa, on the other hand, would have been a member long ago, had she not continually refused every offer Levi had given her. She possessed more than enough raw talent, and Levi knew that if he could show her how to integrate that talent into teamwork, she'd be the most lethal member of his squad by far, even surpassing Auruo by leaps and bounds.

However, Mikasa didn't like Levi. At all. Every time she was within twenty feet of the damn midget, she had to suppress all urges to scowl and it was a fight to remain civil. After what she'd seen him do to Eren, even years ago, and the fact that he'd never received punishment for it, Mikasa would never forgive him. It went without saying that she'd never willingly join the team he was the Captain of either. She had never shown the tiniest desire to have to work side-by-side with him on a daily basis. Much to her own distaste, however, Levi was very influential to Erwin, and she was often assigned to accompany them regardless. She had become, more or less, an unofficial member of the Special Ops Squad, though that didn't mean she was accepted by them. In fact, it was quite the opposite. For whatever reason, they had taken her less-than-friendly relationship with Levi personally. It was going to be painful trying to explain them that she was their new Captain.

"Well, this is going to be a rude awakening for them," Levi commented, as if reading her mind. Mikasa grunted in acknowledgment, spurring her horse to go a bit faster.

_How the hell did I get into this situation? _Mikasa made a mental note to shove Armin in closet the next time she saw him. Her and Levi had set out early in the morning, to the supposedly secret cottage quite a distance from the HQ where the Special Ops Squad endured their rigorous training. This had been hours ago, and considering that she couldn't recognize a damn thing, she wasn't in a very pleasant mood. Being alone with this man was not something she was even going to pretend she could enjoy. All she wanted was for this to be over with.

Fortunately, she soon got her wish, as the made it to small house nestled in a wooded area. Now, all she had to do was find some way to explain to them that their Captain that they all loved and respected so much was leaving, and she was replacing him. A voice in the back of Mikasa's head was telling her that this day was about to go from bad to worse, but she was determined to not let it get to her.

Whether she or her new squad liked it or not, they'd have to learn to get along.


	3. Chapter 3

To be fair, Mikasa's day hadn't been so bad. Levi hadn't stuck around much longer than to briefly explain to his former squad what had happened, how she was now the leader, and then had promptly left without so much as a backwards glance. As whole, the reception had gone better than Mikasa expected. None of the soldiers objected and, while they were clearly unhappy about it, they still treated her with some degree of respect. All four of them recognized that, whether they liked it or not, she was considered their superior in rank. It was nothing like what Levi had received from the Special Ops soldiers, but, frankly, Mikasa didn't care if they liked her or not. She was here to lead them, not to make friends. It was entirely up to them whether this was painful or not; it wouldn't impact her much either way.

Yes, for all intents and purposes, today hadn't been so bad. That was, until Eren showed up.

It was late in the afternoon when Eren arrived at the small cottage and, while Mikasa was initially very happy to see him, grateful to have someone around that she could actually be comfortable near, she could see right away that something was wrong. He seemed pretty aggravated, which was by no means something new, but Mikasa could tell that he was in an especially foul mood.

In a way, she had expected this – it was Armin's idea to have Eren join the Special Ops squad. Mikasa had been more than glad to fulfill this wish, but she had also known it would lead to tension. Eren would view this as an act of her being overprotective, and when they met face-to-face over it, she had been ready to receive the blunt of his indignant anger. She met him by the horse stables. For several moments, they looked at each other; she tried to ignore the angry glint in Eren's eyes, but it soon became apparent that he wasn't letting her off with a mere glare.

"So," Eren finally said, leaning against the wooden wall, "what the hell is all this?"

"It was Armin's idea, Eren," she sighed. "He didn't tell me why-"

"I fucking bet it was Armin's idea!" he spat. Mikasa was a bit taken aback by his sudden outburst and she felt her eyes fall to the ground, as they often did when Eren spoke to her like that. She hated when he raised her voice to her; the last thing Mikasa wanted to do was upset him.

"Are you calling me a liar, Eren?" she asked quietly. He was quiet for a few seconds.

"No," he finally responded, "but I know you, Mikasa. You don't think I'm capable of defending myself if you're not around."

"I don't think that," she said, looking him back in the eyes. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"And what the hell does that mean?" he snapped back. Mikasa faltered for a second.

"I know you can protect yourself," she finally replied. "But I can't stand the thought of losing you. You know that." Her black eyes bore into his teal ones, searching for any trace of tranquility, but, unsurprisingly, she found none. "If anything were to happen to you, and I wasn't there to help..."

"You'd what, Mikasa?" Eren continued harshly. "Run headfirst into danger without any regard for your own life?" Eren paused for a moment, looking at her. Yeah, that's exactly what she would do. That's what she had been doing ever since they were children. "Your life isn't expendable! You're one of the best soldiers in the entire damn military!"

"I'm only that good because of you, Eren," she sighed. "If you hadn't wanted to badly to join the Survey Corps, I never would have even enlisted in the first place."

"Oh," his laughter came out as a bark, "so now you're blaming me?"

"No, I'm not!" Mikasa could quickly feeling herself becoming flustered at the turn this conversation had taken. "I just..." her voice trailed off for a second. "I just don't want you to get hurt. That was my goal then, and it's still my goal today. I can't lose anymore family, Eren." Tears began to pool in her eyes.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you that we're not family! I'm _not_ your little brother. I never will be. If you want to do me a favor, stop acting like you're my fucking mother!" His words cut Mikasa deeper than she would ever show. She managed to bite back her tears, and, instead, let her gaze fall from his and onto the ground.

"You're the closest thing I have," she said quietly, "and that's reason enough for me." In a way, she knew he was right. She didn't have a family. Hers had been taken away from her when she was just a child. Eren's parents had tried to be a substitute, but they had never fully erased the pain. It was only when she was with Eren that Mikasa had felt truly happy, like she truly _belonged _somewhere. "And I have a debt to you that I will never repay," she added, still not making eye contact.

"Don't you even say what I think you're going to, Mikasa," Eren warned, his turquoise eyes flashing with that oh-so-familiar anger that she had grown accustomed to.

"Eren-"

"Save it!" he snapped. "Just shut the hell up. You don't owe me _anything_. How many times have you saved my ass? If you still feel like you owe me something for killing those..." His voice trailed off when he saw the pain surfacing in Mikasa's black eyes. He sighed. "It was _ten years_ ago, Mikasa." Mikasa looked up at him again. Yes. It had been ten years ago. Ten years ago that she lost her family, watched her parents die, almost lost her freedom, had died, and then brought back to life. Ten years was nothing to pay for the life Eren had given her.

"Where would I be now, Eren," she whispered, "if you hadn't stepped in that cabin ten years ago?" That was a day she'd never forget, and a question that she'd asked herself too many times to count. Where would she be if it wasn't for the aggravated boy standing in front of her right now? Dead? Living on the backstreets of some city district as a beggar? A petty thief or criminal, stealing to survive? Or the most likely: a slave, considered nothing but a piece of property that could be bought and sold like an old horse? Mikasa knew for sure that she would not be the person she was today. She would have been all alone in a very cruel word. Her life would be empty, devoid of all meaning. At least with Eren, she had a purpose and a reason to live. Her existence had value, and she'd do anything to ensure that never changed.

"Does it matter?" he finally muttered. "You're here today. You're alive. And if you keep trying to sacrifice yourself for me, that's not going to last much longer, is it?"

"I don't care if-."

"You should, Mikasa!" he shouted, losing patience once again. "Your life is worth more than being a human shield!" He sighed, the noise coming out as a somewhat aggravated growl. "You know what? Forget it." He turned to walk away.

"Eren..." As he stalked past her roughly, Mikasa went to put her hand on his shoulder, but he caught her by the wrist. "Don't follow me." One look into his eyes was enough to convince her to respect his demand. They were burning with such a fiery anger that she knew giving his space was the only way he'd cool down. As she watched Eren storm off angrily, Mikasa internally sighed. Why did he have to be so incredibly stubborn, so blinded by his anger and unhealthy need for vengeance, that he couldn't see the truth when it was right in front of him? Why couldn't he understand that it wasn't that Mikasa doubted his abilities, it was just that she couldn't bare the thought of living without him?

Mikasa felt a strong sense of frustration eating away at her heart, at her very soul. Eren would always push her away. He would never want her help, he would never ask for it, and he would never accept it. He'd put up his wall. Every time she offered him anything, he'd rebuff it with the ever-present anger that had twisted his mind. And yet, Mikasa knew that she'd never stop trying. No matter what he did, no matter how sharp his heated words were, no matter how hard they twisted around in her heart, no matter how many times he told her that they weren't family, she would always protect him. His verbal abuse may have hurt her more than any Titan ever could, but she'd always endure it.

"Because I love you," she whispered to herself. That was all she had ever wanted: a peaceful life with Eren. These days, that year she'd spent with Eren and his family was a distant dream, a fragment of an ancient world long since gone. It was something she'd probably never see again. Mikasa stifled a deep sigh, and that's when she heard footsteps directly behind her.

"Mikasa?" The voice let out a soft laugh, before correcting herself. "Oh, or should I say Captain?" She turned around quickly, fueled by the slight fear that whoever this was had just overheard the entire conversation that she'd just finished with Eren. Mikasa found herself looking down into the gentle, caring brown eyes of Petra Bossard, the only member of her new squad that had so much as bothered to look in her general direction all day.

"I don't care what you call me," she responded. Mikasa wasn't really one for titles, but if that made Petra feel more content, she wasn't going to stop her. The redhead gave her a smile.

"I'll just call you by your name, then. I mean, since we're not on duty, that seems more appropriate." Mikasa's face didn't change in the least; she just continued looking at Petra, waiting for her to get to whatever point she wanted to make. "I think of conversations like this to be more like two friends-"

"I'm not your friend," Mikasa cut her off. Her voice was brusque, but not harsh. Petra seemed relatively unaffected by it.

"No, I suppose you aren't, are you?" That motherly smile was still on her face. To be honest, it made Mikasa feel a bit strange. Nobody had looked at her like that since Eren's mother had died, eleven years ago. "We're comrades, if nothing else," Petra continued. "That's okay, though. I want to help you anyway. "

"Help?" Mikasa echoed. "What do you think I need help with?"

"Ah, well, that's obvious." Another light little laugh passed her lips. "You're upset, aren't you? I mean, I completely understand why. If my boyfriend spoke to me like that, I'd-" At that moment, Mikasa felt her face blush bright red, and, judging by the way Petra's eyes lit up, she had noticed it as well. "There's no need to be embarrassed by it, Mikasa. All of us can see how you feel about Eren. It's pretty obvious." As soon as she was able to formulate coherent words that could come out of her mouth without making herself sound half-insane, Mikasa muttered,

"Eren is..." Her voice trailed off before she could bring herself to say it. She was going to say family, but, as much as she wanted things to be that simple, she knew deep down that they weren't. What _was_ Eren to her these days? They weren't friends; they had never been something so distant. Armin was her friend. Eren had always meant so much more. They weren't family, either. Maybe they had been a long time ago, but she wouldn't feel this way about family. Mikasa had long since realized that she loved him, that her feelings for Eren were not the product of gratitude, but of a genuine desire to be with him and to spend the rest of her life by his side. There were no mere words that could describe such a feeling. Petra just watched her patiently, that nauseatingly sweet and innocent smile still in place. "He's not my boyfriend," she finally muttered, feeling about as intelligent as a schoolgirl.

"No?" That grin faded for a brief moment before reappearing, this time with a laugh. "Oh, I get it. The feeling isn't mutual between you two." Mikasa glared down at the girl, knowing she was right, but not having any words to refute what she was saying.

"That's not it," she snapped. "I-" Petra's face hardened into a somewhat stern look, as if she was reprimanding a child. It just annoyed Mikasa more.

"Don't tell me that you don't love him, Mikasa. Even Auruo can see it. If all four of us can, everyone you two have ever come in contact with has." Mikasa had no words to say; her face was flushed bright red again. "If you want to make it less obvious," Petra laughed, "you should try working on that blush. It really is the nail in your coffin over this matter."

"If that's all you have to say, I think we're done here," Mikasa snapped, turning around and walking away from the redhead before she literally died of embarrassment. The red flush painted across her normally pale face felt permanent, like it would never go away, and it irritated Mikasa that she had let this obnoxious girl get to her enough to receive this much of a reaction. However, Petra was nothing if not persistent.

"Don't get discouraged about it," she said, following the taller girl. "He'll come around. I mean, I did." Mikasa stopped and just glared at her.

"I have no idea what you mean by that, but this topic is no longer open for discussion." Her angry black eyes bore into Petra's brown ones, though the latter's expression was just as friendly as ever.

"I just want to help-"

"You're not." The face that Mikasa wore was well beyond pissed. She wasn't used to other people prying into her business like this, much less knowing that Petra was _right_ about everything she'd just said, and not being able to argue any logical point. "Nothing you say is going to change anything between Eren and I, so it is pointless to continue."

"So, you do admit you love him, then? That's the first step."

_This girl... _Mikasa was at a loss for words. Petra was definitely an odd one. It wasn't normal to be this kind, this friendly to someone she barely knew. Yet there she was, all smiles, and she seemed genuine, like she honestly cared about 'helping' Mikasa with her nonexistent relationship. And on top of it all, Mikasa was aware she was being rude to her; she had been trying to drive Petra away. It obviously hadn't worked – she just kept coming back. Like a weed.

"Eren," Petra continued when Mikasa still hadn't answered her, "must be frighteningly blind to your feelings if he can't see them."

_He's not the only one, _Mikasa's mind grumbled and she almost said it, but contained herself. This conversation was making her feel extremely uncomfortable. She just wanted it to end, but she was starting to see that Petra wasn't going to let it go, not until she felt she had made 'progress'.

"I know how that feels, in a way," Petra said, holding her hand out in front of her. For the first time, Mikasa noticed that she had a ring around her finger, and that sight felt like a knife to her heart. It was bad enough having to deal with Annie and Armin, to see that they had the relationship she wanted and to know that it was always just out of her reach. As much as she hated to admit it, Mikasa wasn't one to lie to herself – she knew that jealousy was part of the reason that she couldn't look at Annie without a strong sense of disgust clouding her mind. Now, she was clearly going to have to continue to live with that taunting, this time in the form of Petra's status as a married woman to a partner that Mikasa frankly didn't care to know the identity of.

"I mean," she continued, "it took at least a year for me to realize that Auruo wasn't a pain in the ass for the sake of being a pain in the ass." Petra laughed again, her brown eyes clearly lost in the memories of her early days with Auruo. "That was how he expressed his feelings for me. It just took a while for me to see it as well. Maybe, Mikasa," the shorter girl beamed, "Eren has a different way of showing his feelings for you. Maybe it isn't that he lacks the connection you so obviously feel. Everyone shows their emotions in different ways." Her eyes were distant now. "I'm open with mine, Auruo masks his behind a wall of his own arrogance, Erd and Gunther try to remain professional about it, Levi completely hides his, you try to do the same as Levi... Why, I'm not sure, but it's none of my business. Perhaps Eren has a way of showing it that none of us have learned to recognize yet." Much to her surprise, Mikasa soon found herself mulling over Petra words. She had made a very good point, one that she had never even considered before.

"You two are very close friends, at least, right?" she asked. Mikasa nodded.

"Have you ever explained to him how you feel?" That seemed like a very personal question to Mikasa, but she almost felt like she was obligated to give Petra some kind of answer. This girl had gone out her to try and make her feel better about a petty argument, despite the fact that they hardly knew each other. And to some degree, she had been successful.

"It's not that simple," she finally muttered. To that, Petra laughed.

"Oh, so you're in _that _stage." She was grinning up at Mikasa. "The problem isn't that Eren doesn't care for you, the problem is that you, Mikasa, lack the courage to be open with him. You won't come close until you're honest with him." Mikasa's face darkened.

"Excuse me? Are you calling me a coward?" Petra frowned for a moment.

"Well, in a way, yes. I mean, there's no denying you're a brave soldier, you're just not a brave _person_." Mikasa looked at her in confusion. "It's funny, isn't it? How a person can face a Titan one-on-one, knowing that the slightest mistake can end your life in a second, then that same person gets anxious and tongue-tied when doing something as simple as talking to someone they care for?" Once again, this fascinating young woman had rendered Mikasa speechless.

"But you know," Petra continued quietly, "there's something all these years in the Survey Corps have taught me. You can't take anything for granted. You never know what tomorrow will bring, so you should live each day like it's your last, so you can die with no regrets when that time comes. If you or Eren died tomorrow, would you regret never telling him the truth? Just think about that, Mikasa."

With that Petra turned and began to head back toward the cottage, leaving Mikasa stunned into silence.


	4. Chapter 4

It was rare indeed that Mikasa woke up with tears rolling down her face, but today was one such occasion. It was this time every year, on the same date, her mind forced her to go to that one place that she dared never think of, to relive the memories of that dark, rainy night. Even after ten years, she could recount every second, every detail, for it was permanently imprinted upon her brain. It was something she'd never forget and a wound that time would never completely heal.

Mikasa sat up slowly, wiping the tears out of her eyes. The bloody images, fresh in her mind, just made the need for more crying worse, but this time she repressed it. Knowing that there was no way she was getting back to sleep after that nightmare, Mikasa stood up and made her way outside. The sun was just starting to peek over the trees and the cold morning air stung hard against her face. Instinctively, Mikasa grabbed her scarf and pulled it up over her nose, but that action brought a tear to her eye.

It was the symbolic impact of it all that overwhelmed her so much. Now eleven years ago, she had lost her parents, but had gained so much as well. It was a horrible day, but so beautiful at the same time. Normally, she'd feel bittersweet about the whole thing, but today, Mikasa felt nothing but depressed. The scarf usually served as a reminder of Eren's kindness, but now thinking of him just made her feel worse. As if fate was reading her mind, someone brushed past her quickly. Mikasa recognized the brown hair instantly.

"Eren?" she called. When he kept moving, completely ignoring her, Mikasa's face hardened into a slight glower. He might have been angry, but she wasn't going to put up with this today, not after how horrible she was feeling. Mikasa easily passed Eren and stood in front of him.

"Get away from me." His voice was rough. It was what she'd been expecting from him, so Mikasa wasn't surprised in the least. "Didn't I ask you to leave me the hell alone?" Hurt flashed in her black eyes.

"That was yesterday, Eren." She couldn't believe the he was still carrying on about this.

"I don't care." He glared at her.

"You should," she snapped, her voice far harsher than it normally was when speaking to him. "You're acting immature." Eren's fury was quickly growing, but Mikasa refused to relent, glaring straight back into his eyes.

"I have nothing to say to you or Armin!" he shouted. "You both think I'm some kind of child, and I'm sick of it." He turned to walk away from her.

"Because you behave like one," Mikasa muttered, half-hoping that Eren didn't hear, but the fact that he quickly spun around to face again her told Mikasa otherwise.

"Why is it," he growled, "that everywhere I go, I have to put up with your bullshit?" Mikasa faltered for a moment, but still refused to drop eye contact. "Get the hell out of my way." His voice was low. Unable to formulate a response to that, Mikasa stepped aside. As she'd expected, Eren hadn't helped her mood in the slightest. As he passed her, tears fell from her eyes and the smallest trace of a sob passed her lips. Her emotions were overwhelming her; between the fresh memories of her parents and the fact that Eren was acting like this, she couldn't contain it any longer.

Hearing the pitiful sound, Eren turned his irritated eyes towards Mikasa. His face quickly became a bit concerned when he saw tears trailing down her cheeks. Despite his annoyance, that made him feel a small pang of guilt. For a moment, Eren saw the Mikasa of his childhood reflected in her eyes: fragile, sensitive, easily brought to tears. Mikasa had become one of the strongest people Eren knew, but there was a time when she had been nothing but a scared and lonely little girl that had seen way too much tragedy. He had tried to make things easier for her, to make her feel slightly less broken when small things that reminded her of her parents would set her off. Now, when he looked into her coal-black eyes, he realized that he was just adding to that supposedly dormant pain. It was still there, she just hid it.

_It will always be there_ he thought, internally sighing. That was what truly bothered Eren about Mikasa - it wasn't that he didn't care about her. He knew if it ever came down to it, he'd always be willing to put himself in danger to protect her, as he had done so many years ago. But she thought that he was more important, that her own life was _expendable_, and that wasn't true. It scared him that, one day, she'd push herself too far and he'd lose her. That was why he shoved her away, why he told her that she wasn't family. Eren knew, deep down, that Mikasa was indeed the only family he had, and losing her would be devastating.

What made it worse, though, wasn't her annoyingly protective nature, but the fact the Eren knew the reason she acted like this. She had never let go of that night they'd met, and she still felt indebted to him. It wasn't that she cared about him as her last family member, it was that she felt like she still owed him something. With the amount of times she'd saved his ass in the past, Eren had hoped that she would someday outgrow this, but it was getting to the point now where he was lying to himself by thinking that. Mikasa was going to kill herself one of these days, and she didn't even care, so long as she felt she was helping him in the process.

"Why the hell are you crying?" he finally asked. By this point, Mikasa had exploded into full-out tears. She had pulled the scarf up over her mouth and covered it with her hands, trying to muffle the audible sobs and her shoulders were shaking. Eren groaned and grabbed her arm, leading her to base of a tree and forcing her to sit down against the trunk. "Mikasa," he said, his voice much more softer, "stop it." She made no attempt to do so.

Feeling extremely awkward, Eren pulled her against his side in a hug, like he used to to when they were children. It felt different this time, though he couldn't really explain how. It was just that they weren't kids anymore. They weren't even teenagers. He hadn't touched her like this in years and he found it almost embarrassing. Mikasa, however, responded to it, her tears vanishing in an instant as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Are you done?" he asked. There was no answer; Mikasa just continued to lean against him. "I'll take that as a yes." Eren wanted to get up, to leave her on a good note, but a voice nagging at the back of his mind knew that there was something wrong. Mikasa _never_ cried. For her to have a breakdown like that, there must have been something else bothering her. "What was that about?" he asked. Mikasa sat up straight, her fingers running over that stupid scarf that she always wore.

"It's been eleven years," she said quietly. For a moment, Eren was confused.

"Eleven years? Eleven years since what?" Then it hit him like a punch in gut from Reiner.

Oh.

_Oh._

_Great job Eren, you fucking jackass. You just HAD to pick today of all days to fight with her, didn't you?_ It all made sense to him now. There were three ways to look at this day: The day Mikasa lost her entire family. The day Eren's own family had grown. They day he had saved her. It had always been clear to Eren what Mikasa considered it to be, and it never failed to put her in a depression that he hadn't seen since they were both very young. Eren sighed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"I'm, um, ya know..." he muttered. Mikasa gave him a small smile. That was as close to an apology that she'd get from Eren, but it was enough to cause her pulse to quicken. This was a position that Mikasa hadn't been in for years: alone with Eren being in fairly good mood, actually touching him. Very quickly, Petra's words came back to her. If she let this opportunity pass, who knew when she'd get another one like it? Eren's arm was still wrapped around her shoulders and she could feel herself becoming more and more anxious. Now would be the best time to tell him the truth and to face whatever his reaction would be. She couldn't wait any longer to see if he felt the same way.

"Eren." her voice was hardly above a whisper.

"Hm?" Mikasa took a deep breath.

"There's something I need to tell you."

"For the last time, I was _not_ having sex with Petra in the training yard!" A loud, angry, boisterous voice shattered the peace between Eren and Mikasa. Auruo, Erd, Petra and Gunther were making their way across the grassy field. "I do have some standards."

"Oh?" Erd smirked, making some kind of smug eye contact with his dark-haired friend. "Really?"

"Yes, _really_," Auruo seethed. "I don't know what kind of noises you heard, but they must have been wild animals."

"Those deer make noises that sound an awful lot like Petra screaming," he laughed.

"And moaning," Gunther added. "Lots and lots of moaning." Petra's face was flushed was as red as blood in embarrassment, though she didn't outwardly deny anything they said.

"We don't have to answer to you two about our our sex life," she snapped. "We're_ married."_

"And that's fine, Petra," Gunther answered, "but, really, why lie about it when we all know it happened?" By this time, there was a stupidly childish grin on Eren's face and he ran over to join them, leaving Mikasa to follow behind stiffly. She didn't listen to what he said to them but, judging by the fact that Auruo was literally spluttering out weak defenses and insults, she could assume it wasn't very appropriate.

Mikasa hung back, watching several more smaller arguments break out among them. A tiny part of her, the part that had always dreaded bringing up this conversation with Eren, was grateful for the interruption, but she was mostly disappointed. Suddenly, Eren was back at her side.

"What were you saying, Mikasa?" Mikasa's eyes briefly fell on the group standing behind him, specially Petra. There was no way she was saying this in front of them. Mikasa gave Eren a small smile, but shook her head.

"It's nothing, Eren. I'll tell you later."

_And that, _Mikasa thought as she watched Eren move back over and rejoin the rest of his new squad, _was the biggest lie of my life._

* * *

While it was certainly no secret of Armin's that he and Annie had been in a strong relationship for a few years, they never made that fact very obvious. Not like Christa and Ymir and Sasha and Connie, who were known to be quite public with their displays of affection. It was moments like this, when they were alone, that their bond was at it's deepest and most passionate. Yes, the past week had presented Armin with an entirely new definition of the word "stress", and, yes, he was extremely busy, but that was just making him appreciate Annie even more than he used to.

Her patience had been almost saintly, and she was always more than willing to be the outlet for all the pressure he felt. She had become, in every way, the only relief he had, considering that he'd sent his two best friends to some hidden cottage in the middle of scenic nowhere. Reiner, Jean and Hanji had become Armin's only other regular company. He had been urged to leave Mikasa alone with the squad for a while, just to give her time to adjust to her new role with them. It didn't matter either way; Armin still hadn't come close to figuring out a course of action, and Levi had literally just vanished. So, needless to say, he was indeed very stressed.

As Armin was rammed up against the wall, he cringed for the slightest second before grinning down at Annie.

"You're always so aggressive," he told her teasingly. Annie scowled up at him.

"I warned you, didn't I? I have been extremely patient with you, _Commander,_ but I know for a fact that you are not as incompetent as you claim." Her lips twitched into a smirk. "But you know, maybe I'm wrong. Who knows? You'll have to demonstrate it to me again." Armin grinned down at her before leaning in to scoop her up into his arms with ease. Her arms went around his neck tightly and she placed a kiss on his cheek.

When he sat her on the bed, Annie was instantly in his lap, her arms still around his neck. She pulled herself up against his chest and their lips met in a way that made both Annie's and Armin's heartbeat accelerate. After a few moments of this light kissing, Annie's tongue became more pushy and Armin opened his lips slightly, giving her the entrance she demanded. Gradually, Annie found herself laying on the bed as Armin hovered over her, still locked in each others' embrace.

Finally, he pulled back, his ocean-blue eyes gazing into hers. Annie's own eyes were filled with lust and an eager kind of anticipation that Armin had learned to love. He smiled, pressing his forehead against Annie's and placing a small kiss on the end of her nose. When they made contact again, a mutual agreement was made between the two of them. They had done his enough times to not need words to know what each other was thinking; their minds acted as one.

Armin stood up on his knees, ripping his shirt off and tossing it carelessly on the floor, followed quickly by his pants, and then his underwear. He was grateful that neither of them had seen the need to be wearing their gear at the moment, as it would have made the process considerably longer. He knew from experience. Annie did the same until they were both completely naked.

Annie looked up at Armin as he leaned over her, his eyes shining passionately. She really did admire his body; it was different from every other man she'd met in this army. Most of them were large and muscular and, while Armin was by no means scrawny, he was a pleasant break from the stereotype. Finally, Armin was in position at the base of her hips. Annie gave him a nod, and he made the move she'd been anticipating.

A smile spread across Armin's face at the pure elation that shone in Annie's crystal-colored eyes upon the insertion. Not breaking contact for a second, he began to thrust slowly, enjoying the pleasured moans pouring, almost nonstop, from Annie's lips. Bit by bit, he picked up the pace, gradually increasing the amount of pleased noises Annie was making.

"Armin..." she whispered. It was a soft sound, but absolutely immersed in passion and delight. Armin began muttering her name right back, and he felt himself coming ever closer to an orgasm, Suddenly, the mood was completely shattered by a loud knocking at the bedroom door.

"Damn it!" he cursed, pulling out quickly and throwing his clothes on and tossing Annie's hers.

"That's just great," she muttered, obviously annoyed.

"I'm sorry," Armin replied. "I wasn't expecting anyone this time of night." Annie didn't say anything; she had a glare set on the entrance. As he made his way to the door, Armin prayed to whatever Gods that be that whoever was on the other side of this door hadn't heard anything. Once they were both fully dressed, he pulled the door open. There stood a person he hadn't seen in days.

"Levi?" The short man's piercing blue eyes quickly fell upon Annie and Armin felt himself blush bright red.

"She's just-"

"I don't care," Levi responded. "What you do with your sex life it not my concern, Commander. I came to discuss something with you, and your inability to maintain a reasonable volume in cases such as this is not it." Armin's blush only deepened.

"Alright," he finally muttered. "What is it?"

"I need you to come with me. Erwin wants to speak with you."

* * *

_**This is my first time ever writing anything even remotely sexual, so if you have any criticism, I welcome it :)**_


	5. Chapter 5

That night, Levi and Armin left for Wall Sina from Karanese by themselves. As much as he didn't really feel entirely comfortable leaving with new Captains in place, Armin knew he couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. If Erwin Smith wanted to see him, he knew it was over something very important. He'd have to have faith in his friends. With Hanji being more experienced than he was by far, Armin knew there was at least one person perfectly suited to a situation, should it turn dire.

In order to provide a little extra protection to the Karanese District, arguably the most endangered human settlement on Wall Rose after the gate to Trost was sealed for good a few years back, Armin had decided to send a small squad of Survey Corps soldiers to provide additional security in his absence. Being as they weren't on an expedition and the entire army was doing little more than hanging around the HQ training, it seemed reasonable. All in all, the idea was pretty well-received; ever since the Trost disaster, the Garrison had been more than happy to work with them. The Military Police was another story, but Armin tended to ignore them most of the time.

It was Reiner's squad, consisting of Annie, Bertholdt, and a small number of less experienced recruits, who would act as both messengers between Karanese and the rest of the Survey Corps in the event something bad happened, and be the first line of defense should Titans become a problem. The Special Ops squad would also be returning to the castle as soon as the message got to them.

Maybe he was being a little overcautious, but Armin knew how delicate of a position the Survey Corps were in at the moment. With a new Commander and almost all new Captains, the most talented branch of military that mankind had probably looked very crippled. There was no denying that the Survey Corps were the only real humans that stood any threat against Titans, but, under the current circumstance, it was the perfect opportunity for a problem to present itself. Armin would rather look paranoid than leave anything up to chance.

After making one last inspection to make sure everything was running smoothly, Armin set out with Levi in the very early hours of the morning, before the sun had fully risen. With any luck, the horses would get them to Wall Sina by this time tomorrow.

For the most part, the trip was fairly silent. Levi wasn't one for idle chatter, and Armin hardly even knew him, so there wasn't much room for conversation. He'd chosen Levi for this position because he had the skills and mentality required, not to enjoy the pleasure of his company which, admittedly, was very lacking from what Armin could see. Considering the fact that Levi was still apparently keeping in contact with Erwin without even telling anyone, he knew he'd made the right choice. That's who Armin needed by his side – someone who takes initiative, not follows orders.

The only bit of conversation they'd exchanged since leaving had been early on, and very brief.

"I didn't realize that Erwin was living in the capital city now," Armin had mused out loud.

"He's living where he can assist the Survey Corps the most," Levi responded. "He's been playing politics with the bureaucrats that sit around on their stacks of money and bitch about how we're a waste of resources."

"Isn't he better suited here, as the Commander?" Armin asked.

"If Erwin thought that, we wouldn't be here right now, would we?"

_Good point,_ the blond thought, feeling rather stupid.

"So, what are we doing in that case? Does he need help with something?" Levi had just glared forward.

"We're going to talk to him. If the last few years of effort that Erwin and I have put into this pays off, it just might save all our asses." After that, Levi had refused to say anymore, stating that Erwin would explain it in detail. Still, Armin had found himself confused by Levi's words. If he and Erwin had this grand plan in place, then why had he stepped down? Why didn't they just do it? He was sure that there was a good reason for it, but that reason remained completely lost to the young Commander.

* * *

Armin and Levi made pretty decent time, and were in the capital by dawn the next day. They were both somewhat tired, because, for whatever reason, Levi had refused to take a break and they had ridden through the night. Armin was starting to think that whatever Erwin needed to tell them was very urgent, though he wasn't sure if he should find that alarming or find faith in the fact that Erwin had some sort of solution in mind. They met up with Erwin in a less crowded part of town, in a alley that offered them some privacy.

"Commander Arlert," he greeted Armin respectfully, crossing his fist over this heart in the way that was customary in the military when in the presence of a superior. It was a strange thought to Armin, that Erwin was now considered his inferior in rank since his resignation. He'd always have the same degree of respect for this man, regardless of his title. Erwin Smith had a very commanding and, admittedly, intimidating aura about him that anyone who ever served under him would always appreciate. He continued, "I would say that I trust you're well, but I know firsthand how difficult these past weeks must have been for you. It is not a job for the lighthearted and you have my respect. These are bad times for the Survey Corps, so a willingness to take such a responsibility on your shoulders is deserving of much respect."

"And I'm honored you thought so highly of me," Armin responded. "Really, I am." The taller man's deep blue eyes stared right into Armin's, his face rather blank.

"Your voice seems unsure."

"I am," Armin admitted. He could see no point in lying and trying to pretend that Erwin's sudden announcement to leave the Survey Corps hadn't left them all in a rather confused state. "With all due respect, sir, I don't think any of them fully understand your decision and I haven't really been able to give anyone an explanation." A sense of urgency quickly passed through Erwin's face.

"Armin, I'm going to give you my reasoning for leaving, but you must be very careful about who you tell." A rarely seen glance of surprise flashed across the shorter blond's face at those somewhat grim words.

"You'd be best off not informing anyone but Hanji," Levi added. "Possibly Ackerman, but even telling her is a risk." Armin didn't say anything, but his mind was racing. Levi was, in a not-so-subtle way, implying that he couldn't trust anyone in the entire Survey Corps, Jean and Reiner included, with whatever information Erwin was about to give him. He had realized that this was going to be important, but not _that_ important. Armin didn't like the idea of keeping secrets from the people he was supposed to be trusting most.

"There is a traitor within the ranks of Survey Corps," Erwin finally said. "Maybe more than one. We have no idea who they are, who they're affiliated with or what they want, but they are definitely there." Armin hesitated to answer him, mainly because he didn't like the direction this topic was headed in. The idea that someone he knew and trusted might willing to betray him and humanity as whole was unsettling, but he wasn't going to jump to conclusions about it. Not without proof, at least.

"I don't mean to question your authority, sir," Armin said carefully, "but how can you be so sure? What evidence is there?" Erwin's face softened into a very small smile.

"Leaving you in charge was no mistake, that much is clear to me. Not that I had any doubt in your abilities to make a good leader, but the fact that you are openly doubting the judgement someone far more experienced than you is nothing short of admirable." Unsure of whether he was supposed interpret Erwin's words as a compliment or an insult, Armin just remained silent.

"You remember those Titans we caught a few years back, right?" Levi interjected. Armin nodded.

"Yeah. The ones that were killed out of spite by one of the soldiers." Erwin frowned.

"We have reason to believe that it wasn't spite that motivated whoever killed those Titans. We always had suspicions that it was done deliberately to hide information from us and deny Hanji the chance to learn anything from them." His face hardened into an urgent kind of glare aimed directly at Armin. "I'm more than aware of the political position the Survey Corps are in. They want progress up in Wall Sina, and you need to give it to them."

"By capturing this traitor," Armin answered slowly, catching on on what Erwin was trying to say. He was telling him to give up on sealing Wall Maria for the moment, and focus on a much simpler task, on that didn't seem quite as impossible. "But, sir," he said, looking at Erwin with genuine confusion on his face, "why would they care about a rouge soldier in the Survey Corps? From what I gathered from Nile at that meeting I attended, they want a successful expedition in Wall Sina."

"What if this traitor is affiliated with the Colossal and Armored Titans, if they themselves are not one of them?" Levi asked casually, leaning against a building. Armin blinked at him.

"Where would you come to a conclusion like that?" he asked. "That seems like a theory more than anything. Do you have any evidence to even begin to support that idea?" Levi closed his piercing blue eyes and let out a deep breath, as if exasperated.

"Open your eyes, Commander. Use that legendary voice of reason that you're so well-known for. No, we don't have any direct evidence to prove anything, but you've been in the military long enough to realize that evidence is only one part of the greater scheme. You need to trust your instinct sometimes. If you can't do that, there are times where you won't accomplish shit."

Levi's blunt words hit Armin hard, like reality had punched him in the face. Had he really forgotten that, of all things? Levi was right; logic wasn't always the way to approach a difficult situation. When Mikasa had pulled Eren's limp body from his Titan form the first time he'd transformed, any and all _logic_ had literally went to hell. According to logic, Eren should have died that day. The more he thought about it, the more Armin saw Levi's point. It would make sense. Who else would go to such extremes to hide as much about the Titans from humanity but someone who could become one? It was a completely reasonable comparison to draw.

"I see your point," Armin admitted. Capturing someone with ties to the very Titan Shifters that had terrorized humanity for the past eleven years would be a huge victory for mankind and, more specifically, the Survey Corps. It would be just the thing they'd need to rekindle people's faith in them as a branch of the military, and the human race's last hope to ever see the outside world.

"Armin," Erwin said, regaining his attention, "Eren Jaeger may be the key to weeding out this traitor. During the attack on Trost, the Armored Titan never appeared, and we believe that is only due to his appearance. They weren't prepared to deal with it. Using him as bait, you may be able to lure them out." Armin could see one glaring flaw in Erwin's idea.

"But it's been years since Trost was attacked," Armin pointed out. "If they never came after Eren on an expedition before, why would they now?"

"Why do you think I chose you to be Commander, Armin?" Erwin asked, admittedly taking Armin by surprise through the sudden change in subject.

"I honestly don't know," Armin admitted. "It's a huge honor, but I am still confused as to why you didn't chose someone stronger and more experienced than me." Armin's eye flashed to Levi, the most obvious candidate for such a position. The shorter man noticed and glared at Armin.

"No way in hell am I gong to try and keep this troupe of howler monkeys on a leash," he muttered. "I'd sooner be eaten." As if he hadn't spoken, Erwin continued,

"No, you're certainly not strong. You're actually the weakest fool I've ever seen think they can stand a chance in the Survey Corps." Armiin was a tiny bit hurt at the man's painfully honest words, but he wasn't going to deny they were true. "However, you're still alive, and that says something about you, doesn't it, Arlert?" Erwin smiled at him. "You are by far the most intelligent man I've ever had the honor of fighting with. Your ability to pick out what action to take, persuade others and analyze any situation in mere seconds is unlike anything I've ever seen. There is no one in this army more suited to be a leader than you, and that's why you're here now."

"Thank you, sir," Armin replied, too stunned to say anything else.

"There's that, and the fact that you wanted someone who looks weak in charge in order to lure the traitor out," Levi added. "A false sense of security for our enemies never hurts." All the pieces started to fall together. They were literally in the perfect position for all this. The Survey Corps looked crippled, when, in reality, they were far from it. Eren was in the Special Ops Squad, so they'd provide him with extra protection. Armin wasn't sure how well that plan would sit with Mikasa, but she'd have to find a way to make it work. For the first time since he'd became the Commander, Armin was confident that he still stood a chance of leading them to some kind of victory, even if it was small, thereby securing their future.

* * *

With a slight groan, Eren found himself laid out on his back, his side throbbing. He scowled as Petra offered her his hand, an apologetic smile on her face.

"Sorry, Eren. That looks like it hurt." He took her hand and she pulled him to his feet.

"I've had much worse as a trainee, trust me," he told her with a smirk. Her brown eyes flashed with surprise for a split second, but it quickly changed to a look of deep amusement. Without any warning, she delivered a swift kick to his uninjured side, catching him off-guard, once again, and sending him toppling like a pile of rocks.

"I can do much worse than that, trust me," she mocked playfully, bending over to help him up again. As he stood up for the second time, Eren looked around himself. For the majority of the morning, they'd been alternating between training with the 3D maneuver gear and sparring with each other. Currently, they were broken into three groups of two in order to spar. Eren and Petra had been pretty evenly matched, both taking about as many blows in turn as they were able to inflict. It was much the same with Erd and Gunther; the only match up that seemed one-sided was whoever Mikasa was paired with at any given time. They had all felt that pain at one point or another. Presently, her victim was Auruo.

"He looks pissed," Eren commented, as Mikasa sent Auruo sprawling on the ground for what was a least the tenth time in the last several minutes. Petra looked over her shoulder, her expression quickly changing from curious to somewhat motherly. Complaining, her husband stood up and faced Mikasa again. In an anger that was probably fueled by his bruised pride, he charged at her again. His fist lashed out at her, but Mikasa saw it coming and easily halted his attack by grabbing the extended limb. In a swift motion, she tossed Auruo over her shoulders.

"She really is impressive, isn't she?" Petra asked, turning to look at Eren. Her words put a scowl on his face.

"I guess," he grumbled. "She graduated at the top of our class and everything." Clearly sensing the edge in his voice, Petra frowned. Eren caught the slight disapproval in her eyes and added, "Mikasa is invaluable to humanity, but she think she's invincible. She's not."

"Is that what she thinks?" Petra asked innocently. "Huh. You have an interesting view on it, to say the least." Eren looked at her with some degree of confusion.

"You think you see something I don't?" She smiled at him.

"I think you're implying that Mikasa enjoys this lifestyle, and I _know_ that none of us really do." She sighed. "All we want is a peaceful life, right, Eren? I mean, I know that's all I want. I'm sure that's all that Mikasa wants, too."

"All I want," Eren replied, his turquoise eyes very distant, "is to slaughter every Titan on the planet like the beasts they are." Petra's face told Eren that he has predicted his answer. She rolled her eyes, though not in a rude way; she just seemed mildly amused.

"I know that, Eren. We all want that. That's why we joined the Survey Corps, right? But I mean, have you ever thought about what you'll do with your life after all this is over? I don't plan on staying in the military. Do you?" Eren paused to think about that for a moment. Truth be told, he hadn't even considered it. Most likely, he'd travel with Armin and Mikasa, see the world that they'd dreamed of seeing since they were children. Maybe they'd eventually find a place to settle down. That wasn't something he needed to be thinking of now, though. They had a long way to go first.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "We have more important things to think about now than that."

"Well," Petra responded lightly, "I'll be starting a family. After all I've seen, it'll be a relief to raise a child that will never have to experience the horrors of this this world." Her brown eyes shone up at him. "Don't you want something like that?"

"Not at the moment, no." Eren's face wore that characteristic frustration that Petra had come to expect from him. "You're thinking way ahead of yourself, Petra."

"Is being excited about a bright future a bad thing?" She looked over at Mikasa again. "I bet she's thought of it before, too."

"All Mikasa thinks about," Eren muttered, "is me." Petra's brown eyes centered on him again.

"It sounds like she really cares about you," the redhead comment lightly.

"Mikasa doesn't _care_ about me," Eren snapped before even considering the words that came out of his mouth. "She just feels that she's indebted to me, and she takes that way too seriously." Much to his surprise, Petra literally laughed at that. "What?"

"Nothing," she chuckled, "but I am curious as to why she feels that way." Eren shrugged.

"I helped her out of a real mess when we were children. It's ridiculous." Eren turned his glare to the ground. "She's going to die trying to protect me, I just know it. I wish she would just put the past behind her and forget about it. It wasn't _that_ big of a deal." Petra fixed him in a rather stern glare.

"I'm not going to ask for the details of what happened, but that is a horrible attitude to have, Eren." Eren's teal eyes widened in a kind of angry shock.

"Why-"

"Did you ever stop and consider that maybe what is trivial to you is substantial to Mikasa?" Petra cut him off. "If she feels indebted to the point where she is willing to die in order to protect you, whatever happened to you two that day had a lasting impact on her. You should look at it from Mikasa's side, Eren. Maybe it's not that she's merely repaying a favor. Maybe she's genuinely grateful, and maybe she genuinely cares about you." Eren was about to give Petra a heated response, unwilling to hear the deeper meaning in her words, but it was shattered by a somewhat panicked scream. Mikasa looked up from her match with Aururo, only to see Hanji approaching them quickly on horseback.

"The Commander had ordered this squad to return to the HQ, but we've got a bigger problem on our hands," she gasped out in one long breath. "The Colossal Titan has been spotted outside Karanese!"

* * *

_**Sorry for the late update. I try to keep them weekly, but for some reason this chapter just felt uninspired, and I am very picky in my writing. It's about to pick up big time starting with chapter six, but, eh, I just struggled to have any motivation whatsoever for this one, mainly because I really don't like Eren much as a standalone character, and I like Erwin even less. So yeah. I was bored writing this. I really hope it doesn't show and you aren't all bored to tears. xD**_

_**Anyway, I WILL have an update this weekend to make up for the wait on this one. I'm sorry.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Note: This is a revised version of this chapter. Special thanks to MostardaProductions for the helpful advice :)  
**_

* * *

By the time the Special Ops squad arrived in Karanes a few hours into the fight, things were only going slightly better than they had in Trost. As expected, mere moments after destroying the outer gate, the Colossal Titan had vanished. Ten soldiers from the Garrison had been injured by that one alone, and the casualties were only growing for them. The arrival of the Survey Corps had helped them greatly, but people were still dying on both ends. The city's Military Police had been devoted to evacuating civilians and, at the very least, there had been no death of innocent people so far. However, that was subject to change, should the Armored Titan choose to appear.

After Trost, mankind had responded by placing gigantic boulders in close proximity to every gate, both outer and inner, so that Eren could more easily block any holes that might be made until it could be repaired. However, that plan required Eren to be physically in the city, which he hadn't been. The soldiers present had been trying to keep the amount of Titans entering the city somewhat controlled until he arrived but, even with the Survey Corps helping, little progress was being made. Upon finally arriving in the city, Hanji and the Special Ops squad had been greeted on the wall by a rather flustered-looking Jean. Relief filled his eyes when he saw Mikasa.

"Thank god you two are here," he said. "I've been giving orders to the _entire_ army by myself! We-"

"By yourself?" Hanji cut in. "Where's Reiner?"

"That's a damn good question," Jean snapped. "I was told that his squad was to already be stationed here and we were providing backup. When I got here, Annie was the only member of the Survey Corps in the entire city, then you had to go and get Mikasa's squad. We have no Commander, no real plan and people are dying as we speak. So, if either of you have any ideas to share, I'm all ears!"

"Jean, calm down," Mikasa said, peering over the wall and down onto the city. There was a surprisingly low amount of green among the browns and whites of the Garrison. Had they already suffered that may causalities? "Where is everyone?" Jean took a deep breath.

"They're defending the inner gate," he responded. "The Armored Titan hasn't appeared yet. We needed Eren to seal off the hole, so I figured we were better off preparing for attack on the gate rather than out here fighting Titans. They'll keep coming until there's no opening for them to crawl through." Suddenly, Eren stepped forward.

"What did you mean when you said there's no Commander, Jean? Where's Armin?"

"He and Levi were needed in Wall Sina," Hanji answered him. "We're on our own this time around. We don't have a Commander, and we don't have our most powerful soldier. That's the situation and we need to act on it. We can't be worrying about that right now, we'll have to make due." She looked back at the gate at the back of the city. "Now the real question is: do we go ahead and seal the hole, or do we put Eren in the back in case the Armored Titan appears? We can't afford to lose Wall Rose."

"Put him in the back." All of them looked in the direction the soft voice came from, only to see Annie walking toward them, her bloodied swords drawn. "We can fight the Titans off until the immediate threat has past. There's no point putting the entire human territory in danger." Mikasa and the short blonde exchanged glares for the slightest second. It wasn't really provoked; that was just their way of greeting each other.

"That seems like a contradiction," Mikasa said, her eyes still staring daggers at Annie. At the taller girl's words, Annie returned the expression. "Blocking the gate will prevent anymore Titans from coming through, and it will take less time than just sitting around waiting for the Shifter to appear."

"What if it appears while Eren is on the other city of the city?" There was no hint of aggression in Annie's voice, only the calmness that was normal for her. "If that happens, I'd love to see you fix that mess, Mikasa." Clearly sensing the impending friction between the two of them, Hanji stepped forward.

"I think that keeping Eren near the inner gate is the safest course of action under the current circumstances. We'll give him some bodyguards, but the rest of the soldiers should be sent to clear out the Titans that have already entered the city." Jean nodded in agreement before he and Hanji both took off, moving toward the troops gathered at the inner gate. Mikasa looked back at her squad, patiently awaiting orders.

"Erd and Gunther, you two go help with clearing out the Titans." They both saluted her before jumping off the wall, swinging onto a nearby rooftop. "You two," she looked at Petra and Auruo, "come with me and Eren." The three of them started to move toward the gate, but was stopped by Annie's voice.

"Don't you think you three should be on the front lines, Mikasa? You'd do more good there, you know." When Mikasa turned to look at her again, her black eyes were burning with an intense, annoyed anger.

"I_ think_," she responded, "that I'm a Captain and I don't need to explain my decisions to you. You can go aid them on the front lines, if you're so concerned. That's an order, Annie." The blonde gave Mikasa one last glare, unable to argue with her, and followed Erd and Gunther. To avoid the Titans, Mikasa, Eren, Petra and Auruo took the longer but much safer path, staying on the top of the wall until they reached the gate.

"Hey, Eren," Auruo said as they ran, "are you sure you can take this thing out if it shows up? From what I've heard, it's completely covered. Is even a Titan able to fight something like that?"

"We shouldn't think about that," Petra cut in. "Nobody's seen the Armored Titan since Wall Maria fell. We know virtually nothing about it."

"We've seen it," Eren said, his eyes distant. "Mikasa and I were there the day it broke through. It was only for a few minutes, though."

"Ah." Petra's voice dropped in volume considerably. "I forget that you two are from Shiganshina." Eren gave her a somewhat curt nod; the memories of that day were something that still haunted him.

"It wasn't much different than any other Titan," Eren said. "Just covered in some kind of hard material, and it was _really_ fast." As they continued to question Eren about his sparse memories of the Titan, Mikasa looked at him, concerned. Would he be able to fight something like that? He was strong against ordinary, stupid Titans, but the Shifters they were dealing with were human beings, and had more experience with honing whatever power they had. Of course, Mikasa didn't want another fight with him, so she didn't dare question his abilities verbally, but she couldn't shake the feeling of unease this whole situation brought. What chance did Eren's form stand against an impenetrable wall of a Titan? No sooner had they arrived at the gate, one of the few stationed lookouts stood up from their position on the roof of a nearby building.

"The Armored Titan is approaching!" Mikasa's eye widened when she heard that, unable to believe it.

_No way... _she thought. That was way too coincidental; why would it choose to appear mere moments after Eren was in position to fight it? Her gaze hardened in suspicion as the armor-covered, muscular Titan appeared around a building, coming to a halt a short distance from the main gate to Wall Rose. _Just who are you?_ Was it possible that the person inside that shell was someone they knew, someone they trusted? The unease Mikasa felt had suddenly multiplied. Not wasting any time in case it was preparing to charge the wall, Hanji propelled herself toward the giant.

"Look for any weak points!" she shouted. "Do anything you can to help Eren!" At her words, Eren jumped off the wall and bit down on his thumb in midair, spaying blood down his hand. His body was consumed by the familiar earth-shattering bolt of light that fell from the sky out of nowhere, and when the flash cleared, there stood his built, pointy-eared Titan form. He let out a guttural roar and charged the other giant. The Armored Titan bent it's knees for a moment, throwing it's rock-hard shoulders to the front and running toward Eren at full speed.

The impact from the two colossal bodies crunching into each other was so forceful that it shattered the glass from the windows of nearby houses.

For a moment, it looked like the Armored Titan was going to keep moving, having ran through Eren like he was little more than a sapling, but it stopped just short of hitting Wall Rose. Instead, the creature turned it's glowing eyes back toward it's opponent and charged again, going in the opposite direction of the gate and back towards the city. From the relative safety of the wall, the soldiers watched the Armored Titan's abrupt change in behavior, shock prevalent on all their faces.

"It...it doesn't want to break the wall?" Jean's voice held a strong sense of disbelief. Mikasa's eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty anger.

"No," she said darkly. "It wants Eren. It doesn't care about the wall. That's not it's goal." Eren regained his composure just in time to avoid a swing from the other Shifter's rock-hard fist. He caught the extended limb in his hand. A hissing roar was expelled from from the Armored Titan mouth as it brought it's other hand down toward Eren's face. Catching that one with ease, Eren gave a forceful kick to the Shifter's abdomen and it flew back several feet, coming to a halt when it slammed into what remained of a house.

Unperturbed, it stood back up like the attack had been little more than a minor annoyance, only to be met by another punch from Eren that sent the Armored Titan staggering back, reducing a small merchant stand to little more than splinters. When Eren came in for yet another blow, the Titan seemed to regained itself and threw it's own punch. Their fists collided with each other, creating air currents so strong that it could be felt by the humans standing on Wall Rose. An audible crunching sound accompanied the shockwaves and steam began to billow from Eren's hand as his Titan body began to regenerate the absolutely ruined limb.

Taking advantage of his crippling injury, the Armored Titan gave a forceful kick to Eren's leg, severing the appendage and sending him down on one knee. As the Titan moved to pin him to the ground, there was a rather loud battle cry that came from just above two Shifters. By this point, the Armored Titan was about to deliver an avalanche-force punch to Eren's face. Hanji hooked onto either shoulder, going right for the protected nape of it's neck.

"What the hell is she doing?" Auruo muttered, looking very much confused. Hanji's blades struck it's weakest point with a relatively strong force, but shattered into shards. Her eyes lit up as the Shifter reached around, trying to grab her. She jumped back out of the way, onto a rooftop.

"Ah!" she grinned. You armor really_ is_ strong, isn't it? You don't supposed you'd just surrender, do you? I'd love to learn more about you, and why you're being such a nasty traitor." The Titan stood up off of Eren and took another swing at the woman, narrowly missing. "No?" she frowned, and genuinely sighed. "That's unfortunate. But that's alright, I found your weak point. This will be over soon." With that, she climbed the wall. "By the way, Eren," she called, "now might be a good time to attack our friend here!" Eren kicked at the Titan's legs, taking advantage of Hanji's distraction to send it toppling over like a pile of rocks.

"Where is it's weak point, Captain?" Petra asked Hanji as she landed next to them.

"I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining. "How could it possibly move as fast as it does? It's legs. There is exposed muscle tissue on the back of it's legs."

"What good does that do?" Jean asked. "We can't kill it."

"Eren is the only one who can do that," Mikasa said softly, watching as the Armored Titan stood up again to approach Eren's helpless form. It raised it's heavy foot and delivered the limb into Eren's face over and over again, until his head had been reduced to little more than a mass of hair and sticky, bloody flesh. With that, the Titan bent down and rolled him over onto him stomach. With it's bare hands, it tore a huge chuck of flesh from the nape of Eren's neck, leaving his human body exposed. Befroe it could make another move, Mikasa, Petra and Auruo had lept off Wall Rose and were racing toward the Shifter.

"We can handle this, Captain!" Auruo called to Mikasa. "You get Eren!" Petra and her husband, as if attached to each other by one mind, began to launch organized attacks in perfect harmony against the giant, slicing at the exposed skin wherever it was possible. The Armored Titan swung at them, but continually missed. Finally, their gazes met for a moment and a mutual agreement came over the pair of them. They both turned in mid-air, hooking onto the Titan's face and delivering a blade into each of it's eyes. It stumbled backward, clearly startled by the loss in sight, but still moved in the general direction Eren was in.

"Oh, no you don't!" Auruo suddenly yelled, and he and Petra, in sync, dived at the Titan's legs, slicing the minuscule amount of exposed flesh with perfect precision. The Shifter's advancement was halted and it went down on it's knees. Before it could attempt to stand, Mikasa was on top of Eren's fallen Titan form, and she easily sliced the last of the tendons connecting him to the carcass. His body was limp and he was barely conscious, but he seemed relatively unharmed apart from that.

"Mi-Mikasa?" he slurred, looking up at her lethargically. Mikasa gave him a relieved smile before carefully wrapping her arm around his waist and carrying him up onto the wall.

"I don't know why they want Eren," she told Jean, as Hanji had went off to aid in stalling the Shifter, "but I do know that it's not safe for him here. It's clear that they have no intention of breaching Wall Rose, so now we need Eren to seal the wall. I'm going to hide him until he's regained some of his strength." Jean clearly didn't like that idea, but he didn't argue the point.

"Just be careful. It's harder to use the maneuver gear when you're carrying another person."

Not answering him, Mikasa swung down onto the city again. They had gone a fair distance in a matter of minutes; she just wanted to get as far from the Armored Titan as possible. This while thing had her feeling very disturbed. Why were those Shifters after Eren? Was his power that important to them? Well, they'd have to kill her before she'd let those traitors anywhere near him. The Armored and Colossal Titan Shifters were nothing but a plague upon humanity, and if they wanted to start a war with her, she'd be more than happy to oblige.

Suddenly, Mikasa could hear her gear make a strange clicking noise that she knew probably wasn't a good sign. For a moment, she stopped on a rooftop to inspect it. Eren was slowly recovering but, being as he had no gear of his own, he really didn't have much right to make an argument about how he didn't want Mikasa carrying him. From what she could see, there was nothing wrong, though she was by no means an expert on how the 3D maneuver gear functioned. She could use it, sure, but the technological details were a mystery to her that she had never even questioned prior to this.

_It's probably just the added weight, _Mikasa thought, brushing it off. There was really nothing she could do about it besides hope whatever the problem was would hold out a bit longer. Mikasa went to swing to the next building and she pulled the trigger that was supposed to deploy the grappling hook, but it didn't react. She plowed face-first into the wall of a house. As she hit the ground, Mikasa's right foot landed before the rest of her body. A small cry of pain tore it's way past her lips as she felt her ankle bend all the way back against her leg with a sickening snap. Eren stood up without much of a problem, having regained enough energy to at least function, but he looked pretty irritated.

"Mikasa, what the hell happened?" Mikasa shook her head.

"I don't know. My gear locked up. There's something wrong with it." As Eren opened his mouth to respond, they suddenly heard heavy footsteps behind them. Both Eren and Mikasa turned around, and saw standing in their only exit from the alley a Titan that they recognized all too well. It had dark black hair, and a hideous, deformed, permanent smile.

The familiar monster slowly made it's way toward the pair of them, and Mikasa stood up, moving in front of Eren. As she made the step to come between him and the Titan, the pressure placed on her injured ankle became too much to support and she went down on her right knee with a pained groan. Still refusing to admit defeat, she withdrew her swords and stared the colossal monster in the face defiantly, remaining in her kneeing position.

"Mikasa!" Eren suddenly called out to her. "What the hell are you doing? You can't fight it! You can't even stand. Don't be stupid." To enforce his order, he grabbed her cloak and pulled her back so that they were sitting next to each other. Eren really didn't like that bloodthirsty glint in her eyes. He knew what she was thinking, and was positive that her thoughts were identical to his. This Titan, more than any other, had shattered their peaceful life. It had taken his mother from him, and Eren could tell that Mikasa _wanted_ to kill it. So did he. But it was obvious that she was in no condition to take on a Titan, even if her gear had been operational. Even while at full health, going anywhere near a Titan was gambling a life, even more so with an injury as bad as Mikasa's seemed to be.

Seeing his logic, she seemed to calm down a bit and regain control of her anger. Eren looked at Mikasa as the Titan's footsteps grew ever closer. She had her eyes closed, her face contorted in a grimace. She knew what was going to happen, she had accepted it. In that instance, an intense, regretful guilt overcame Eren. When he looked back at Mikasa, the only person he had left in the entire world that was even close to family, more tears came to his eyes. It was strange. Here they were, both about to die, and Eren knew that his goals in life were far from accomplished. Despite that, all he could think about was the girl sitting beside him.

All he could see in his mind was all the times he'd snapped at her, all the times he'd insulted and hurt her, all the times that she'd come running straight back to him, as loyal as ever. No matter what abuse she endured at his hands, she'd never turned her back on him, and now they were both going to die because she had tried to save him one last time. Knowing that fact brought a revelation. It wasn't Mikasa. It never had been Mikasa. Eren was the weak one. She wouldn't have to die protecting him if he himself had never caused it all.

Eren's eyes turned to anger when he looked back at the grinning Titan. He was reliving a long-dormant nightmare. Was it really eleven years ago that he had watched his bastard eat his mother? More tears, triggered solely by his fury, filled Eren's turquoise eyes.

"_Eren! Mikasa! You need to live on!" _He saw his mother's dying moments vividly, as if it were happening right before them both, and heard her final words as if she was speaking them to him. A sharp, pained intake of air came from Mikasa and Eren's steely glaze hardened.

"You're not taking anymore of my family!" he screamed at the Titan, as if the stupid beast could somehow understand him. Eren stood up, taking a protective stance in front of Mikasa. "I'll fucking kill you if you go anywhere near her!" Behind him, Mikasa's eyes widened in shock at his words and she felt tears begin to sting them. It wasn't out of fear or sadness, but a strange type of joy. They were both going to die. Even though Eren was denying it, Mikasa wouldn't. Hearing those protective words come from him made her very happy, despite the impending death staring them both in the face.

Eren bit down on his thumb, but nothing happened. With each failed attempt, he grew more and more frustrated and panicked, until he finally fell to his knees in defeat. He looked back at Mikasa for a moment, a small ray of defiance still shining in his teal eyes.

"I'll get you out of here, Mikasa. I swear, I'll do that much for you." He bit down on his finger again, his tears falling from his face onto his hand and washing small streaks of blood down his arm. For a brief moment, Mikasa's eyes fell to the ground in front of her. She listened to Eren's frustrated groans, not really all that surprised. She hadn't expected him to be able to transform again so soon, not after the beaten he had taken from the Armored Titan. She had failed to protect him, and they were both going to be eaten because of it.

Still, for some reason, she felt no fear, only anger at her own cowardice. Eren's frustrated attempts to defend them both was sending him further and further into despair. After all those years they'd spent together, she had never been able to gather the courage to tell him the truth. Maybe it was too late to make a difference now, but she couldn't let it end like this. That conversation she'd had with Petra mere days ago was coming back to her. If she died today, without ever having told Eren what he really meant to her, she'd die with regret. She owed everything to him – her happiness, her life, her freedom. He deserved to know that. Mikasa moved closer to Eren.

"Eren," she said urgently, as the Titan was by this point mere feet from them, "listen. There's something I need to tell you." Tears began to form in Mikasa's black eyes. "Thank you," she whispered." Eren's turquoise orbs looked at hers, as he too cried.

"For what? I can't even fight now to save either of us! I'm useless!" Mikasa shook her head.

"That's not true, Eren." She inched closer to him, pressing her forehead against his. A voice in the back of his head told Eren that this was supposed to be weird, that he should feel awkward that Mikasa was being so close to him, because she was touching him in such an intimate way. But it didn't feel wrong. "Thank you," she continued, "for saving me that night." A smile that Eren had never seen before formed on her face. "Thanks for being the warmth in my life when I had nothing." Now, the tears began to cascade down her cheeks.

"Mikasa..." Eren whispered, but she placed her index finger over his lips, silencing him.

"Thank you for teaching me the way to live." Her hand went to the red piece of fabric that seemed permanently attached to her skin. "Thank you for wrapping this scarf around me." She slowly reached up and stroked Eren's cheek, her fingers trailing down to his chin and caressing him gently. "Thank for you for being the beauty in my life." Her eyes fluttered shut. "Thank you, Eren. Thanks for everything."

"Mika-" Eren started to say, but, without warning, Mikasa's black eyes, more alive and bright than Eren had ever seen them, snapped open, and she grabbed his head in both hands. In one fluid movement, Mikasa brought her soft pink lips onto his. At first, Eren was too shocked to react; Mikasa was _kissing_ him. But before he could even process that thought, his instinct kicked in and he began to kiss her back, finding the feeling of his stomach doing backflips rather enjoyable. His heart was racing in a very alien way, and he realized that he kind of..._liked_ it when Mikasa kissed him. Mikasa pulled back, looking Eren dead in the eyes.

"All I ever wanted," she whispered, her black pools swimming with tears and that huge smile still covering her entire face, "was to be by your side, Eren. I love you." A silence settled between the two, broken only by the deep breaths and heavy footsteps from the Titan.

"I..."Eren's voice trailed off for a moment. "Mikasa, please. This isn't the time for this." At his words, Mikasa threw herself over Eren's shoulders in one final display of her affection. She didn't care if he returned her feelings or not; that had always been something she knew deep in the back of her mind. She'd always had her doubts about how much Eren loved her. It didn't change anything, in her mind. Looking over him, Mikasa could see the Titan had bent down and it's hand was extending toward them, but she couldn't bring herself to regret anything that happened here, not for a second. She wasn't going to watch him die. She could save Eren one last time.

"Run while it's distracted," she whispered. Before Eren could even process the confusion her words caused him, Mikasa tossed Eren over her shoulders, toward the back of the alley and he landed several feet from her, so that she was the one closest to the Titan.

"Mikasa!" Eren called out when he realized what she had just done. She'd just sacrificed herself. She was going to willingly let herself get eaten just so he could flee.

Eren's nightmare became a reality as he watched the Titan's hand wrap around Mikasa's wast, and start to lift her toward it's wide, grinning mouth.

* * *

_****__**Chapter name: How chapter fifty SHOULD have went. -.-**_

_**Yeah, the Eremika part in this chapter was pretty heavily based off of chapter fifty of the manga, but I never promised that there would be no scenes that could be classified as "canon". I just have this headcanon (which is probably the reality) that Mikasa would never be honest about her feelings toward Eren without having both of them being faced with certain death. Also, this scene is the defining moment of my overhated OTP, so let me have my cute Eremika moment. xD**_


	7. Chapter 7

Annie decided that she wasn't going to argue with Mikasa. She had better things to do than stand around taking insults from the miserable bitch. If everything went according to plan, she wouldn't be living past today's fight regardless, but talking to Mikasa still always left a bad taste in Annie's mouth. She followed the two Special Ops soldiers as they descended down on the city, but, rather than accompanying them to the front of the city where most of the Titans were still lumbering around, she jumped to the ground.

To most people, moving on the street level in a situation such as this would be a death sentence, but Annie wasn't particularly worried about the very real possibility of encountering a Titan. She had enough faith in her abilities to be able to kill any she saw with ease, but in a pinch, she had another plan to fall back on. The man-eating giants that could be lurking around any corner didn't have her the slightest bit concerned. After checking to ensure that nobody had followed her, Annie turned into a alley, where two figures were waiting for her.

"Eren is going to protect the inner gate," she told them. Reiner said nothing, but merely brought his finger up to his mouth and bite it. His body was swallowed by the familiar earth-shattering strike of lightening and the space where he stood moments ago was occupied by the Armored Titan. "I should mention, though," Annie said to him, her blue portraying nothing but an uninterested boredom, "that Mikasa, two members of the Special Ops squad, Hanji and Jean are also with him. Watch your ass." Bertholdt's green eyes flashed with some amount of concern at her words, as they both watched Reiner run past them, towards his confrontation with Eren. His voice was soft when he spoke.

"Annie, didn't you sabotage her gear last night?" Annie brushed a lock of her blonde hair out of her eyes.

"Yes, but she hasn't used it yet. Go figure. Any other time, she'd be killing the things left and right." A small frowned crawled it's way onto Bertholdt's face.

"I hate having to do that to Mikasa, but-"

"I don't," Annie stated. "Even if Reiner gets Eren, you two will be as good as fucked if Mikasa survives. Her life is a liability." If Bertholdt disagreed, he didn't express it, opting to remain silent instead, as was normal for him. Taking the lack of communication as a hint to regroup with the rest of the soldiers, Annie moved to propel herself back onto the rooftops, but was stopped by his voice.

"Annie," he said, if this fails-"

"If this fails," she cut him off, "nothing will be any different than what I told you earlier. I'm done working with either of you. Unlike you and Reiner, I have a future with someone behind these walls, and I won't be abandoning that to cover your asses. I won't betray him." Bertholdt knew who she was referring to.

"But you already did," he said quietly. "Armin is the Commander. You _did _betray him, Annie. You betrayed him and everything he stands for." Annie shot the unusually tall man a vicious glare and launched herself onto the roof of a nearby building. He was wrong. She wasn't betraying Armin, she was betraying Eren and Mikasa and all the Survey Corps soldiers that she, frankly, couldn't give two shits about. But not Armin. She'd never give him a reason to mistrust her. He'd never know about this, and she would be done with Reiner and Bertholdt after today. It would be the beginning of a new life for her, for them. Nothing would change that.

* * *

"Watch it, Christa!" The short blonde girl wiped some sweat from her brow as she stood on top of the Titan she'd just killed. She quickly turned around, only to see another giant reaching for her. She reacted in the next instant, cleaving three of it's fingers off with one strike of her sword and Ymir rocketed past the back of it's head, carving out a huge chuck of flesh from the neck. The two friends landed on top of the same building and Ymir laughed, placing her arm over Christa's shoulder.

"Keep that up, and I might start to think you don't need me anymore." Christa gave her friend a somewhat flattered smile.

"Oh, get a room, you two!" Connie snapped at them, running by them and leaping toward an suspecting four-metre class. It was standing at the base of a house, stupidly clawing at the stone wall as if it was expecting to climb it in order to reach the group of traumatized Military Police soldiers huddled on the roof. He easily brought his blade down across the nape of the monster's neck, watching as it toppled over like a pile of rocks. Connie sighed when he looked at them, and a glare contorted his face. They had clearly never seen a Titan before. As much as he was aware of how frightening of an experience fighting them could be, he couldn't help but feel a slight twang of disgust. None of _his_ fellow graduates from the 104th had just stood around doing nothing in a situation like this, even before they officially enlisted in the Survey Corps. The Military Police was supposed to be the best of the best, but Connie could feel nothing but resentment for them.

"You three could help," he snapped at the soldiers still staring at the dead Titan with wide eyes. "It would be appreciated by those of us that are actually doing our jobs." A light-haired man looked at Connie like he was little more than an insect.

"_Our_ job is to protect civilians. You're the ones that are supposed to throw your lives away fighting those things. So, by all means, continue. That how you'll meet your death someday."

"Are you kidding me?" he snapped. "I just saved your ass!"

"We had it under control." For a moment, Connie debated just shoving them all on the ground. Technically, it wouldn't be murder if Titans just_ happened_ to eat them.

"That really does seem painful," Ymir suddenly said, looking at Christa, her disinterested face changing into something slightly less bored.

"What?" the blonde asked, confused.

"Oh, well, you know," the taller girl responded. "One can only shove their head up their own ass so far before it starts to hurt. I'd say those three are far beyond that point. That's a rule in the Military Police, right?" The man that had spoken to Connie shot a glare toward Ymir. The tense standoff between the six soldiers was abruptly shattered by the arrival of Sasha, as she landed a few feet from them all and pointed to a nearby street.

"There are a ton of Titans over there! They need some help." Although going somewhere with "a ton of titans" wasn't an image that particularly appeared to any of the former 104th trainee squad, they left the argumentative Military Police soldiers behind and went to help clear out the streets.

Upon arriving at the designated location, it soon became clear why so many Titans had chose to swarm around the area. Unsurprisingly, it was the direct result of a certain military branch's cowardice. A fairly large number of people bearing the symbol of the Military Police on their uniforms were gathered on a taller-than average building, clearly trying to hide from any direct contact with the monsters that they were supposed to be helping kill.

"Don't they know that Titan's are attracted to large numbers of people?" Christa sighed, a bit frustrated at just how stupid their actions were.

"It doesn't matter," Connie answered. "We're going to have to kill them." Between the several Garrison and Survey Corps soldiers already attempting to put a dent into the huge mob of giants, and failing for the most part at an alarming rate, the four friends weren't very confident. Still, they had a job to do and they weren't going to neglect it; after four years of this, death was something that they all had accepted and none of them feared it. They fought for several minutes, each of the four of them mowing through Titans at a rate the other soldiers couldn't hope to match. While none of them were anywhere near as skilled as people like Levi and Mikasa were, they had all improved greatly since first enlisting and were among the most experienced and elite fighters within the ranks of the Survey Corps. In that line of work, one either improved or they died. In the case of the 104th, they had all improved immensely.

As the endless blood and flashes of blades continued to fill their sights, a scream could be heard through all the clashing of swords and growls from the Titans. Somehow, Christa had ended up toward the center of the mob, and she had been pinned to the ground by a twelve-metre class. It took about two seconds for them to realize how hopeless of a situation that was; if they all just made a rush to save her recklessly, there could be heavy casualties.

"It's pointless," Conne said numbly, watching as their old friend writhed and squired around in the Titan's hands. "She's too far away. We'll never get to her fast enough."

"Get out of my way," Ymir said quietly, shoving her way through her fellow soldiers and looking the Titan holding _her_ friend like she was nothing more than a piece of bread it was about to devour. For a brief moment, even from such a far distance, Christa's panic-stricken and tearful blue eyes met her's in what was a look of severity, of acceptance of her death. Wordlessly, the taller girl bit a wound down into her finger, revealing the secret that she'd kept hidden from her comrades for so long.

"Y-Ymir?" Christa's eye widened, as she forgot her previous terror and was overcome by shock. At once, everyone looked at the spot where, seconds ago, their long-time ally stood, now occupied by a small, long-haired Titan. In an instant, a snarl passed Ymir's razor-sharp teeth and, moving with a speed that none of them had ever seen a Titan be capable of, she launched herself off the crumbling roof of the building she was crouched on. She weaved her way through the hoard of giants like a snake, killing them with single swipes from her claw-like fingernails where necessary, finally arriving at the feet of the Titan holding Christa within mere seconds of transforming.

She forcefully tore the creature's leg open, causing it to fall down on one knee. She was able to easily leap onto the Titan's back and kill it by slashing a huge piece of flesh from it's neck. As Ymir's shorter Titan loomed over the now even smaller blonde girl, Christa's eyes told Ymir that she still hadn't fully comprehended what exactly was going. She didn't look scared; she was just in shock. Before another Titan could grab her, Ymir wrapped her own hand around her friend's waist and stuffed her into her mouth, taking great care not to harm her. She quickly fought her way out of the mob, killing several more giants in the process. Their numbers had been decimated to the point where Ymir was sure the others could handle the rest, but that wasn't of primary concern for her. With Christa safe inside her, she ran from the fight.

The Shifter finally stopped a good distance from the confrontation and opened her mouth, spitting Christa out into her hand carefully before setting her on the ground. Christa was wide-eyed, finally seeming to come to a point where she was able to replay what the hell had just happened in her mind. Ymir was a Shifter? Since when? Christa had known her for years, well before they had enlisted together, and had never once had suspected her of being capable of anything like this.

"Ymir..." she said, at a lost for words. Ymir lifted the girl up to eye level, as the two friends stared at each other dead in the face. Still, after all of this, Christa's face possessed no fear whatsoever and Ymir partially forced herself from her Titan's neck, half-emerging so she could speak. Her head was still tied to the Titan by tendons and red, sinewy material, but her face was free.

"You're not scared, huh?" she asked her friend. Christa instantly shook her head.

"No. You saved my life. I could never be afraid of you, Ymir." She gave Ymir a kind smile, who let out a breath of something like relief before smirking at her.

"You must love me more than I give you credit for if you can tolerate _this_." Christa hooked onto Ymir's shoulder and propelled herself from her open palm, landing right next to her human body. She leaned up and left a small peck of a kiss on Ymir's cheek.

"This doesn't change anything. I'll always go with you and I'll always be by your side." Ymir's response to that was to retreat back into the Titan's body. Christa moved up onto her head, latching herself to it for support while the small Titan Shifter began to run back toward the fight.

Annie saw Ymir and Christa returning from the roof she stood on. Her blue eyes followed their movements, still extremely taken aback. _That_ was definitely unexpected. Annie had been well aware of Ymir's ability to transform, as Reiner and Bertholdt had told her about it, but she never thought she'd see it. Ymir was so selfish and really didn't seem to give two shits about anyone else on the planet except Christa, so she'd always doubted that the girl would ever have a real reason to use her form to aid anyone else. However, more of the shock Annie felt came not from the fact that she'd revealed her Titan form, but from seeing just how lethal it was. That was a fighting style she'd never seen in a Shifter before. It was almost animal-like - fast, small and armed with teeth and claws rather then size and strength, a stark contrast to how the rest of them fought, Eren included.

Annie's thoughts were cut off when, out of nowhere, Reiner's Titan form ran by her, creating air currents so strong that she was almost knocked off the building. She had never seen him move that fast, but it was soon revealed why he was in suck a hurry. Close behind him was a small group of soldiers, consisting of everyone from Eren's guard, with the exception of Mikasa. Annie could tell where Reiner was headed: the hole leading to Wall Maria. Once he got there, the Survey Corps were a lot less likely to follow him. Bertholdt looked nervous, as his friend successfully made it out of the city. Noticing that a great number of soldiers were congregating on Wall Rose, Annie and Bertholdt decided to join them; they had to know if Reiner had Eren or not. It was hard to tell from the fleeting glace they got of his retreat.

"Where did Mikasa go?" Hanji was asking Jean, as the two Shifters came within listening distance.

"She took Eren with her to hide somewhere," he answered. Annie was somewhat surprised to hear Bertholdt curse under his breath, as he turned and propelled himself back down onto the city. She was quick to follow him. If Eren was with Mikasa, he might already be dead, and that was something that he and Reiner couldn't afford to have happen.

* * *

"Eren, go_ now_!" Mikasa's voice was louder and more urgent that Eren had heard it in a very long time.

_Fuck._ This wasn't happening. This literally could not be happening. This had to be some kind of sick joke or a nightmare that he'd soon wake up from. There was no way in hell that the very Titan that murdered his mother was now moments away from devouring the closest thing he had to family. This was impossible. It was-

"Eren, please!" He could hear the desperation in her tone and for the slightest second, Eren weighted his potential options. He looked at the road on the other side of the Titan. The creature was too stupid to make any attempt to go after him how that it had it's next 'meal' in it's grasp. Mikasa was more than right. He could easily get away, he could save himself. She had bought him the precious moments he would need to gain some distance from the Titan with her own life."EREN!" Her voice was screechy and panic-stricken, a sharp contrast to the soft, composted tone that she normally held when she spoke. For a moment, their gazes met. She wasn't asking him to save her. Even faced with certain death, Mikasa was still thinking of him, she was still trying to save him. She had literally thrown her life away so that he could live longer. Her tearful blacks eyes were begging and pleading with him to just run, to leave her there to die in the Titan's hands and save himself.

Just like his mother had.

Back then, he had been weak. He had been a child that hadn't even capable of carrying himself to safety, but they had all changed since then. They weren't the children they used to be. He was a Titan Shifter. Mikasa was one of the best soldiers mankind had ever seen. Armin was the Commander of the strongest branch of military mankind had. He wasn't going to run, he wasn't going to leave another person to be senselessly slaughtered by this monster, _especially_ not Mikasa. By this point, her head was mere centimeters from the Titan's mouth. She closed her eyes and turned away, unable to look the creature in the face before it bit her in half. Eren stood up, unsure of what he was going to do, but he had to do something. He couldn't just watch this. That was something he'd never do again.

Suddenly, just as the Titan began to close it's mouth, blood erupted from the creature's neck. It stopped moving completely for a few seconds, as if stunned, before it's grip on Mikasa loosened and she began to fall. Before Eren could get into position to catch her, someone else shot by, propelled by their maneuver gear, and grabbed her out of the air. It wasn't until the figure took Mikasa to the top of Wall Rose and sat her there that Eren got a good look at who it was. Bertholdt, of all people. Before that thought could fully register, the Titan staggered and fell forward, and Eren had to quickly jump out of the way to avoid being crushed.

"Annie?" he said, as the familiar blonde girl landed on the fallen giant's back, having been the one to deliver the fatal blow to it. Her blue eyes were as uninterested as ever and showed no real emotion when she looked at him. Eren was a different case entirely. More tears filled his eyes as he stared at the girl that had just saved Mikasa's life. In a way, she had rescued both of them, but Mikasa had been the one in the most danger. "Annie, you just saved her."

"Yeah, I suppose I did." Annie's voice was as bland as ever and her expression didn't change. She jumped off the Titan's back, as it had become too decomposed for her to stand on. Without thinking, Eren threw himself over her considerably low shoulders, too overcome with relief and shock to even acknowledge that Annie might perceive his embrace as highly inappropriate and unwanted. He was just _so_ relieved, so grateful for what she had done that he couldn't help himself.

To think that he had come that close to losing Mikasa, that her final words to him could have been something heartfelt he brushed off like it was nothing... He was overwhelmed. Eren couldn't imagine a world without Mikasa, as strange as that thought was. She was a fixture in his life; she had been since they were children. They had seen hell together more times than he could count. They had watched almost every comrade of their die. They had lost friends and family and yet, through it all, they had survived because they had always been able to find comfort in each other. That was something he'd never realized before. Whenever something bad happened, there were two people Eren could always turn to: Armin, his best friend and Mikasa, his only remaining family.

_His family._ That was something he'd always taken for granted. He'd never once given thought to what he would do of either of them had ever died. Yeah, he feared for Mikasa and her protectiveness, but the idea that he had literally come within mere moments of losing her forever was more than he could bare. _Never again. Never, ever again. _Eren wasn't sure if the emotions he was experiencing were quite like the love Mikasa had just claimed she felt for him, but there was something new that would make it impossible to look at her in the same light again. He would treasure every moment of it from now on. Suddenly, he felt a rather harsh pull as Annie forced her way out of his grasp, a slight glare on her face.

"Don't touch me," she snapped. "Come on. Let's go back to the wall before anymore of these damn Titans come by. That is, unless you're going to try and kiss me next, but I don't recommend that." She looked borderline disgusted. Eren gave her a somewhat sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Sorry about that. I wasn't thinking."

"Clearly." Without waiting for a response from him, Annie easily slung Eren over her shoulders like a pile of rags and took them both to the top of the wall, where Bertholdt and Mikasa waited for them. When Annie him down, Eren immediately drew Mikasa up into his arms. He could see that she was visibly shaken and understood completely; as strong as she was, nobody could come that close to death and not feel impacted by it. He placed a kiss on her forehead and smiled slightly when a red blush creeped it's way across her cheeks.

"What the _hell _was that?" he whispered, still holding her tight again her chest.

"It would have worked," she breathed into his ribcage, "if you weren't so stubborn." Eren pulled back and gave Mikasa a glare, his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm stubborn because I wasn't going to leave you to get eaten alive? Please explain that logic to me, Mikasa." The Asian girl just shook her head and leaned against him again.

"It doesn't matter, Eren. It's over and we both survived." Mikasa looked up from him for a few seconds and her blacks eye fell on to Annie. She was standing a short distance away from them with Bertholdt. When she noticed that they were looking at her, she came a little closer.

"What?" she asked. The look Mikasa gave her was the closest thing to "friendly" that Annie had ever received from her.

"Thank you," she said, leaving it at that. The blonde nodded in acknowledgement, but continued to watch the pair even as she rejoined Bertholdt. Why he had chosen to save Mikasa was a mystery, but Annie knew that there was no undoing it. The whole thing was strange to her, especially since a secondary goal for their plan had been to eliminate the threat, but, at the same time, she also knew how Bertholdt was. He hated everything about what they had done and especially disliked the idea of sending Mikasa, someone who he did indeed feel a small kinship with, to her death on purpose.

Still, the plan had failed and they were now in a perfect position to succeed where Reiner had failed. Mikasa was badly injured and Annie knew that killing her would be an easy task for either of them, even Bertholdt. After she was out of the way, they could overpower Eren by working together and just take him. Seeming to sense Annie's intentions, Bertholdt shook his head and stepped back from her, making it clear that he'd have no part in attacking Mikasa. Annie's hands went to her blades as she stepped closer to them. Eren noticed her coming and they both faced her. Mikasa's eyes instantly flashed to the half-poised weapons, fixing the blonde in a murderous glare as if daring her to do it.

"Annie?" Eren asked the short girl, who faltered. Her hands moved from the handle of her blade.

"We should get moving," she told them, watching as Eren carefully picked Mikasa up piggyback-style and started to carry her toward the front of the wall. There was something stopping Annie from attacking them both: Eren's behavior. While Annie wasn't exactly a romantic, she had enough common sense to be able to see when love was forming between two people. Mikasa had clearly loved him for a very long time, and Annie could see that Eren was now mirroring those feelings.

In a way, it reminded her of the early days of hers and Armin's relationship. He had been hopeless when it came to her not-so-subtle hints. It was rather cute, but also very frustrating. One day, that perception Armin was so famous for finally pulled through for them both and the realization hit him hard. The same was happening with Eren right now, as she watched them. Annie couldn't bring herself to interfere with that. As far as deals went, she had upheld her end. Eren and Mikasa were no longer her concern. She was cutting all her ties to Reiner and Bertholdt today. What happened to them wasn't her problem anymore.

It was time for a new beginning.


	8. Chapter 8

To say that shit had hit the fan while Armin was away was the understatement of the century. He and Levi had returned, expecting to get together with Hanji and Mikasa to work out their ulterior objective, but had found, instead, nothing short of a disaster. After much discussing it with Levi, he'd come to the conclusion that, as much Armin trusted both Jean and Reiner as long-time comrades of his, he couldn't tell anyone unless he could look them in the face and say without a shadow of a doubt that they were innocent. Unfortunately, neither of them fit that criteria. Armin was going to trust Levi's judgment of Hanji, and as far as Mikasa went, there was literally no chance she had anything to do with it - Armin knew her well enough. Her and Eren were the closest thing to family he had and if he couldn't trust her, he couldn't trust anyone.

However, it was clear now that there was a lot of cleaning up to do before he could even consider leaving Wall Rose. By the time they'd gotten back, Eren had already sealed the gate and so whatever happened in Karanes wasn't really anything to do with the Survey Corps now that the Titans were all dead, but Armin felt a small degree of guilt for the whole thing. It was way too coincidental that the Armored and Colonial Titans had, after years in hiding, chose to attack mere hours after he had left Karanes. If anything, it was an indication that Erwin had been correct in assuming that they'd be encouraged by the lack of a "strong" Commander in the Survey Corps. It was vital that they made a move now, while that recklessness was still somewhat strong in their minds. However, upon retuning home, Armin had discovered a new complication: Mikasa.

"That isn't the issue, Mikasa," he told her with an exasperated sigh. "I'm not going to risk your life like that." One of the first things Armin had concerned himself with was the condition of Mikasa, for two reasons. One, because he was worried about his friend and, two, because she, Eren and the Special ops squad would be integral to luring the Shifters out. After Hanji had informed him that the Armored Titian had made no attempt to break through Wall Rose and had instead tried to capture Eren, Armin was more encouraged than ever to go through with Erwin's advice and launch his first expedition.

The fact that Mikasa had severally broken her ankle in the fight would set them back months. It would take eight weeks alone for her to even be able to walk, much less use the three-dimensional maneuver gear and there was no way in hell that Armin was going to put her in a position like that if there was even the smallest risk of her being impaired. The easiest solution Armin could think of would be to put Levi back in charge of his old squad temporarily, just for this one expedition, and let Mikasa remain behind in Wall Rose. Of course, he knew she'd hate this idea and the fact that she was fighting it so vehemently came as no surprise to him.

"Give me two weeks," she was telling him. "I'll be more than capable of walking by then. Eight weeks is ridiculous." Her black eyes shone defiantly. "There's no way it'll take me eight weeks to recover from something so insignificant." Armin closed his eyes for moment and took a deep breath.

"You're only human, Mikasa," Armin he told her. "It isn't a matter of walking, it's a matter of using your gear."

"If that's what is required of me, I can do it," she said.

"Using your gear with an injury to your leg will put too much stress on your body, even for you." Armin sighed. "Please, just listen to me, Mikasa. It's for the best interest of e-"

"You're not leaving without me, Armin." One look at Mikasa's face was enough to tell him that this was a losing battle. She had never been one to quietly sit down and take orders when it came to Eren, or to show those who outrank her any real degree of respect if she didn't want to – Levi had been evidence of that time and time again. In her mind, her relationship with Armin was no different than it had ever been and, while Armin was grateful of that, it was also frustrating in situations like this.

"Ackerman," Levi said, speaking up for the first time, "I hope you realize how much of a blow your death would be for the Survey Corps. Your behavior right now really suggests that you either have a desire to be eaten, or you're just a stubborn fool." His dark blue eyes were highly disinterested. "So, which is it?" For a minute, Mikasa looked like she was ready to literally jump out of her bed and tackle Levi to the ground.

"Alright," Armin said quickly, "we're not getting into personal arguments here. That wasn't the point." At the moment, Armin, Levi and Hanji had gathered in the hospital room where Mikasa had received treatment for her leg. There were two guards stationed out side the room. It might not have been the most subtle decision of Armin's, but he didn't care so much about doing this without drawing attention. As long as they weren't overheard, that's all that mattered and they were there to prevent eavesdroppers.

"We'll see where we stand in a few days, when we've worked out the details of the plans we'll relay to the Squad Leaders. I can't make you any promises, Mikasa, though," "Armin said carefully. "Time is important now and we have to act as soon as possible." Mikasa didn't argue the point any farther, but Armin knew she had won already – she had decided she was going, and there was no force on this planet that could stop her if Eren was endangered in any way. Besides, as selfish as it sounded, Armin knew how talented Mikasa was. Even injured, she outclassed almost every soldier in the Survey Corps by leaps and bounds. Leaving her behind really wasn't an option, even if _did_ put her life in great danger. Failure on this mission simply wasn't a possibility.

"Oh!" Hanji exclaimed. "Commander, there is something else that perhaps should be brought to your attention before we begin." Armin just looked at her, prompting her to continue. Her eyes shone with excitement as she recalled whatever memory she was so eager to talk about. "It's about one of your former teammates, from the 104th Trainee Squad. Being a Titan Shifter must be something you all have in common, eh?" Armin's face betrayed the confusion her words brought.

"What do you mean?"

"It's Ymir!" Hanji practically sang, her gaze distant and lost in her own world. "During the fight, Ymir turned into a Titan form." Hanji's words started to melt together, mainly because Armin couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ymir, a Titan Shifter like Eren? Armin had never really known Ymir all that well, given her cynical and closed-off-to-everyone-except-Christa personality, but still... He'd never had expected something like this. But that raised a very critical question: was Ymir the traitor they were looking for? Was it unfair to assume so based on nothing more than the fact that she could indeed turn into a Titan? Maybe not, but they really had no clue who this traitor was – it could be anyone.

"Do you think she's-" Armin started to ask, but Hanji cut him off with a careless wave of her hand.

"No, I'm positive that she had nothing to do with Wall Maria. She's been somewhat cooperative." She paused. "A bit moody and aggravated perhaps, but still cooperative." From how she worded that, Armin assumed that meant that they had imprisoned Ymir. To him, that was a comforting sign – clearly, Hanji knew how to handle tense situations, even in such unanticipated circumstances. That was to be expected from someone like her. As far as Armin knew, she was the single most experienced member of the Survey Corps, surpassing Levi by at least a couple years.

"Where is she now?" Armin finally asked.

"In the dungeon, of course," Hanji answered. "We had no idea if she could be trusted or not. I think she should be released, personally, but we were waiting for your judgment on the matter. That's not my call to make."

"And what the hell have you been doing to her?" Levi muttered, his eyes closed. "Being as she's been completely at your mercy, I'm surprised she's still alive." The brunette fixed Levi in a highly offended look, though it was hard to tell if it was genuine to not, being as she was grinning like an over-excited child in the next instance.

"It _would _be fascinating to run some experiments, wouldn't it?" Hanji's eyes shined at the prospect of whatever she was thinking. "She clearly has far more control over herself than Eren has, and I would simply love to see if her body regenerates in the same way his does, or compare other variables..." For a moment, Hanji seemed to snap back to reality. "But you misjudge me, Levi," she continued. "Ymir is a very valuable find and I'd never do anything dangerous to her. We can save the real tests for when we have the traitor."

"What the hell makes you think that she isn't the traitor?" Levi asked, finally looking at Hanji for the first time.

"Easy," the dark-haired woman almost laughed. "We don't have any evidence linking her to the Colossal and Armored Titans, besides the fact that she can indeed transform. By that logic, she's no less trustworthy than Eren. It would be irresponsible to assume that she's the traitor we're after based on what little we know about her origins or affiliations."

"But what if she _is_ tied to them somehow?" Armin said, more to himself than anyone in particular. "To be honest, none of us know her that well. She's always been very quiet and has kept to herself. It would be even more irresponsible to assume that Ymir is completely innocent."

"Armin." The blond turned his eyes to Mikasa, and she continued, "I've spoken to Christa. She asked to make sure you were informed that Ymir only transformed to save her from a Titan's grasp. Perhaps that should also be considered."

"That doesn't matter." Levi leaned back against the wall he was standing near, his ankles crossed. "Eren saved his entire squad's life the first time he transformed, but that didn't make him trustworthy. Until there are no doubts as to where her loyalties lie, she needs to be treated no differently than a traitor would be."

Armin was quiet for a long time, thinking hard about the decision he had to make. As far as he could see, it wasn't a matter of if they could trust Ymir so much as it was a matter of if she was the target they were after. To assume that was a gamble, but was it worth sacrificing the lives that would undoubtedly be lost if they did launch a expedition? That was, presuming there were even anymore traitors within the ranks of the Survey Corps and Ymir wasn't the only one. But that went back to the first issue: _was _Ymir the traitor?

Armin had two choices. He could assume that Ymir was an innocent victim of circumstance like Eren, or at the very least wasn't working alone and still put his plan in motion to leave Wall Rose and attempt to lure any potential Shifters out. That would be a great cost of vital resources, but it might just be the jump the Survey Corps needed to rekindle public support. On the other hand, it was more than possible that Ymir was indeed their one and only target, and it might not be entirely necessary to leave the safety of Wall Rose to begin with. Basically, what they had here was a gamble , and Armin was going to have to make a choice one way or another.

"I think," he finally said, "that there's not enough evidence to make a choice one way or another. There's no legitimate proof that Ymir is affiliated with the Armored and Colossal Titans, but at the same time, we can't really say for sure that she's completely innocent. We have to assume that any Titan Shifters that reveal themselves are tied to the traitors in some way." Armin looked up into the three sets of eyes focused on him. "However," he said, "I have my doubts about Ymir, based on the circumstances that triggered her transformation. It seems to me that these traitors would be more eager to keep their identities secret, even if meant saving a friend's life."

"How many of these damn freaks are in the Survey Corps?" Levi muttered to himself, to which Mikasa shot him a glare.

"We will continue with the previous plan," Armin said, "an expedition where we will attempt to lure one of the affiliated Shifters into a trap, and hopefully catch whoever is inside. We will leave Ymir under the supervision of the gradating trainee squad that will be joining us in a few weeks and a Squad Leader. The results of this expedition will ultimately decide her future."

"How do you plan on doing that, Armin?" Mikasa asked him, and the steely look in her black eyes told Armin that she'd seen right through him – she knew that he was planning on using Eren as little more than bait.

"I'm sorry, Mikasa," he told her gently, "but it's the only way. It will put you and the Special Ops squad in the most immediate danger, but there's no other option." Mikasa was silent for a few moments.

"Fine," she eventually said, "but I'm going. I don't care how injured I am. If you're going to put Eren in that kind of danger, I'm going to be there to protect him."

"That will be the role of your entire squad," Levi added. "All five of you will be expected to protect Eren at all costs." Again, the look Mikasa threw at Levi was one that was far from pleased.

"Are you doubting my ability to do so?" Her voice was low. Levi's eyebrow went upward slightly when his small and piercing blue eyes met her angry black ones.

"I don't put my faith in anything undeserving of it. You have yet prove yourself as a leader so, yes, I do doubt your abilities. You may be a good fighter, but that doesn't make you a leader. Compared to me, you're still a trainee and you still have a lot to learn. Respecting your superiors is maybe one lesson I can show you today, if you so wish it." The angry undertones to his words were more than present, and it was enough to convince Mikasa to back off. As confident as she was and as much as she hated Levi, she knew what he said was no idle threat and that he was more than capable of carrying it out. Suddenly, Hanji disrupted the festering tension with the slamming of her hands against the floor as she laid out some kind of plans for a new device for capturing Titans that she'd apparently been designing for quite a while. As Armin listened to her somewhat out-there ideas for the expedition, he tried to focus, but he couldn't fight off the nagging worry in the back of his head. Just who was this traitor? He was almost positive that Ymir was nothing more than a victim of circumstance, just because none of what she had done made any sense to the other Shifters.

Yes, he was sure of it: the traitor was still out there, and they were probably right under his nose.

* * *

One of the more pressing personal issues that Armin had shoved to the back of his mind ever since arriving back in Wall Rose was making sure that his closest friends were okay. Eren was either completely uninjured, or any wounds he had sustained had healed themselves, Mikasa was very much so in a stable, albeit bored, condition. The only person he hadn't heard from yet was Annie, which worried him to some degree.

A part of he thought he was being paranoid – Annie was more than capable of a fighter and he was almost positive that she'd made it through the fight virtually unharmed, but it was never a sure thing when Titans were involved. All it takes is one small mistake and the unspeakable could happen, just like it had nearly happened with Mikasa. Mikasa was an invincible force of nature most of the time, but even she was almost helpless in a dire situation. That was the reality of this world.

Needless to say, Armin was very happy to see that Annie was already in this bedroom upon arriving there.

"There you are!" he breathed, sweeping Annie up into a tight, revealed hug. "Thank god. I hadn't heard from you since before the fight so I was a bit worried..." Armin's voice trailed off when he got a good look at the shorter blonde's face. She seemed almost hesitant and her gaze was flighty, purposely trying to avoid eye contact with him. Sensing something was wrong, Armin stepped back from her, his hands resting on either of her shoulders. "Annie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she snapped quickly, turning away from him. In that moment, Armin knew she was either lying to him or hiding something.

"Annie, you can tell me anything," he said softly. "You know that, right? You can trust me." His voice stopped for a moment. "I mean, if we don't have trust, what else is there?" There was a long silence between them and when Annie looked him in the face again, Armin felt his breath catch in this throat.

A single tear was sliding it's way down her face.


	9. Chapter 9

_I am not betraying Armin._ Even as Annie thought those words to herself as she waited anxiously for him to finally retire to the bedroom that she was given free reign of, she couldn't shake off the slight feeling of denial that was nagging at the back of her mind. Something wasn't right, and she had known it since early that day.

Annie had witnessed Armin and Levi return from their trip to Wall Sina but, rather than greet him like she normally would have, something stopped her. A feeling that was somewhat alien to her was holding her back, telling her that she should just leave him be for a while. Armin had looked very tired and very worn, a stark contrast to how he would have been mere weeks ago. Annie wasn't stupid or blind – she had seen the stress that he had been under, which she was now greatly adding to with her actions. It didn't really matter that she had decided that she'd stop now, what she had done would still have an impact on Armin, and it was hard for Annie to justify it or even forgive herself.

How ironic it was that she, the person who Armin had been endlessly turning to ever since taking on his new job and the insufferable stress that came with it, had just played a huge role in making it ten times worse. No matter how hard she tried, the conversation that Annie had with Reiner and Bertholdt shortly after the fight wouldn't leave her head.

"_Annie, wait a second," Reiner said, grabbing her arm as she angrily tried to move away from him. In response, she immediately turned on a dime and delivered a well-placed kick to the back of his lower calf, sending the much-larger man falling to the earth in a second. _

"_Don't touch me." Bertholdt stood by, watching the scene with a somewhat flustered expression._

"_Annie, please-" he stared to say, but was cut off at the glare her crystal-colored eyes threw at him._

"_I don't care what you have to say to me about what happened today," she snapped. "You both are spineless. That's not my problem." Reiner stood up, an aggravated look on his face. _

"_Don't even start with that, An-"_

"_I had everything in place," she cut him off. "I lured Eren to the gate to Wall Rose, and _you_ failed to secure him." Her gaze shifted to Bertholdt. "I had Mikasa almost taken care of, but _you_ chose to save her life."_

"_Maybe you should have made sure Mikasa wouldn't have been an issue well before I fought Eren. If she hadn't taken off with him, I could have caught him." Reiner was glowering. "As I recall, that was also one of your jobs."_

"_She pulled rank on me. What the hell was I supposed to say?"_

"_That's not my problem," Reiner responded, mimicking her in a subtle way. "That was still one of your duties, so the blame falls on your shoulders just as much as ours." Annie's face quickly grew bored, as she just wanted to get to whatever point Reiner was trying to make. Frankly, she didn't care much either._

"_I don't understand why we're having this conversation. Regardless of whose fault it as, the mission failed. This entire discussion is pointless and you're wasting my time." Reiner was quiet for a moment, speaking only when Annie started to walk by him._

"_We need your help one last time, Annie. Just one more time, then-" The shorter blonde's face flashed with an extremely annoyed expression._

"_I already told you two that I wasn't helping you again after today. Fuck off." Annie was almost outside of earshot, when the next words that came out of Reiner's mouth stopped her dead in her tracks._

"_The fact that you're betraying the only person in the world that means anything to you doesn't come as a surprise, really." Annie turned around slowly, her icy eyes burning with an all-consuming blue fire._

"_Say that again. I dare you." Within seconds, she was mere inches from the large man. Reiner returned her glare._

"_It's the truth. If you'll betray Armin, it shouldn't shock me that you'd betray us as well. You betray everyone, don't you, Annie? That makes you a tad bit worse than us, doesn't it?" His golden eyes closed. "At least Bertholdt and I can have confidence in each others' trust. Who do you have to turn to?" The truth behind Reiner's words cut Annie very deep, but her poker face was unmatched by anyone and she was able to easily hide how horrible that knowledge made her feel._

"_You know, you have an odd way of trying to convince people to help you," she said instead, her face relatively stoic. Reiner's blond eyebrow went up._

"_Really? I think if you listened for once, you'd see my truth behind my words."_

"_I think if you'd_ _listen for once," she snapped, her anger coming on strongly, "you'd see that I'm _truly_ about two seconds from ripping your balls off and shoving them-"_

"_Annie," Bertholdt said softly, speaking for the first time, "you're very lucky that you have a future behind these walls." His green eyes met hers. "You're right. Securing Eren is our problem, not yours. You're not the one who will be punished if we fail. I can't say I blame you for not wanting to ruin what chance you have to escape the path we're all on right now." He sighed. "But, Annie, would you really forget what we've been through together so easily?" It was painfully clear what Bertholdt was trying to do: play on sympathy. He was trying to make her feel guilty for choosing Armin over them._

"_Don't act like our relationship has ever been anything more than comrades," she told him coldly. "We are three people that had a common goal at the time, but my sights have changed. I have my own life to consider and what happens to you two isn't my concern."_

"_Are you forgetting your father and the promise you made to him? What will he say when we tell him that you stayed behind?" For the first time in a long while, Annie's face betrayed the shock that Bertholdt's words brought, but she quickly masked it with anger._

"_Don't bring him into this," she snapped. "That man made my entire life a living hell."_

"_You still made a promise to him," the tall brunette man said softly._

"_I made a lot of promises that I was unable to keep." Her voice was quiet._

"_Annie," Reiner said, and her blue eyes turned to him almost unwillingly, "please, just hear me out before you refuse."Annie just continued to glare at him, which he took as a cue to speak. "Armin is organizing his first attempt for Wall Maria. We will leave within the next few months, and that will be the perfect time to strike."_

"_Why the hell do you need my help?" she muttered. "You are just as capable of grabbing Eren as I am."_

"_Because, Annie," he snapped, "our Titans are too well-known. Nobody has ever seen yours before. You could easily pass as an Aberrant until you get deep enough into the formation to grab Eren. You don't have to go anywhere near Armin. Just run in, grab him, and get out, and we'll never bother you again."_

"_If you think I can pass as one of those mindless monsters, you're a bigger idiot than I thought," Annie replied. "The first time any them goes after my neck, they'll realize that I'm a Shifter. Even a trainee isn't that fucking stupid."_

"_Then kill them all," Reiner said coldly. Annie raised one of her eyebrows at him, which he shrugged off. "You don't care about any of them, do you? Just kill anyone who sees you, so the word won't get back to Armin." Annie closed both her eyes and a light smirk curled onto her lips._

"_You really are desperate, aren't you?" Neither Reiner or Bertholdt said anything. Annie looked at both of them. "Fine. I'll help you one last time, but only because you two are pathetic."_

"There you are!" The voice that snapped Annie out of her thoughts was all too familiar and, for once, Annie would have sooner heard anyone else. Even Mikasa would have been preferable at this point. Before she could move, Armin had closed the gap between them, pulling her into a tight and desperate hug. "Thank god," he continued, the relief swamping his tone. "I hadn't heard from you since before the fight so I was a bit worried..." The look he was giving her was so kind, so caring, so genuine. He was obviously not himself, and yet all he could think of was her. It made Annie feel unworthy just looking into those gorgeous blue orbs. They were the source of what little happiness she could feel, all she had to live for, and yet she knew that she spitting into them with her actions and her intentions. Unable to look him in the face anymore, her gaze fell from his in shame and guilt.

"Annie, are you okay?" His hands went to her shoulder and for the first time in what felt like years, Annie could feel tears stinging the back of her eyes. This wasn't fair to him. She didn't deserve the concern that he was showing her.

_What I deserve, _she thought bitterly, _is to be slapped across the face and thrown out like a piece of trash._ That's all her actions made her – garbage, a disgusting creature not worthy of love, especially from someone as genuine and kind as Armin.

"I'm fine," she finally said, turning away from him, not having the will to look him in the face until his next words brought Annie to a whole new level of guilt and self-loathing that she previously wouldn't have believed possible.

"Annie, you can tell me anything. You know that, right? You can trust me." He hesitated. "I mean, if we don't have trust, what else is there?" If the guilt hadn't been eating her alive at that point, it had just swallowed her whole. She couldn't help it; a tear passed her outward barriers and slipped down her face.

"I trust you," she said, her voice hardly above a whisper. Armin's eyes widened in shock when he saw that she had been crying; he had never seen her display emotions like that before. Annie doubted that anyone had. "It's nothing, Armin. Don't worry about it." Armin was clearly unconvinced.

"You're crying, Annie," he said softly. The shorter blonde girl wiped the lone tear off her face.

"Now I'm not." Armin gave her the smallest trace of a smile and he pulled her in closer to his chest.

"That's not the only tear I see." Annie hadn't realized that he was indeed right – her face was soaked with a steady stream of the damn things that she hadn't even realized were present. As she slowly came to terms with just how horrible she felt for everything that had happened earlier that day and how much she hated herself for knowing she was going to do it again, Annie felt Armin wrap his arms around her lower legs, and he gently lifted her up.

All the while she cried into his chest, unable to control herself. He lifted her down onto the bed and crawled into it next to her, remaining completely silent as Annie sobbed. His fingers tangled into her hair, removing the thin band that held her bun up. Armin smiled after her blonde locks fell down around her face, framing it beautifully. He leaned in closer toward her and placed a kiss on the end of her nose.

"You are perfect, Annie. You know that?" Finally, the distraught girl made eye contact with him.

"Don't say that, Armin," she said softly. "I'm not." His smile didn't fade.

"To me, you are. That's what matters, right? That you're a good person to me?" Annie just shook her head, burying her face back into his neck.

"I'm not good for you, Armin. I'm really not." He was quiet for several long seconds.

"If you say so," he finally said, giving her a deeply penetrating look, as if she was staring directly into her soul. Annie knew that glow in his eyes; it meant that he was still not fully confident in what she was telling him. And if there was one thing that everyone who ever met Armin knew, it was that blatantly lying to his face was literally impossible. Impossible to everyone but Annie, because she had learned how to read him. She only let him see what she wanted him to, and it had been what kept her secret hidden from Armin all these years.

_I don't deserve you,_ she wanted to say. _Don't trust a damn word that ever comes out out of my mouth. _She wanted to just come out and tell him that she was going behind him, that she was soon going to stab him in the back, yet again. Annie didn't deserve Armin's trust, and she knew what she was doing was wrong and unfair to someone as sweet as he was, yet, at the same time she couldn't tell him anything. How would he react? And how would she even bring it up?

"_Armin, by the way, I should mention that I'm an enemy of the entire human race and I worked with the Armored and Colossal Titans to take down Wall Maria, and tried to kidnap one of your best friends and kill the other while you were gone."_

_Yeah, right._ There was no way in hell she'd tell him anything about it. As much as it killed her to have to look Armin in the face, knowing that she had and still intended to betray him and everything he stood for, Annie would keep her secret a bit longer. Part of it was fear, really. Reiner had been right. Armin was literally the only person in the entire world she had, and he meant everything to her. He might forgive her, but he also might be hurt and throw her aside like the pile of shit she really was.

No, Annie was definitely better off lying about it. She couldn't take that risk. Besides, it was only for this last expedition. After that, she'd be done for good and she'd never again have to live with the guilt of knowing that she was hurting Armin.

* * *

For the past few nights, Eren hadn't been able to get Mikasa out of his head. Specifically, he couldn't get the fact that Mikasa had_ kissed_ him out of his head. And he had _enjoyed_ it. What did that say about him, about their relationship? Eren had never really given much thought to it, but just what was Mikasa to him? In a way, he almost considered her family, but was she really?

No. No, she wasn't. Mikasa had been a lost child that his parents had given a stable home to. They never were family, just friends. But were they friends? Eren didn't have any experience with kissing girls, or even romance in general, but he seriously doubted that the spike in heart-rate had felt when his lips met hers was something that would happen with a mere friend.

Did that mean that he loved Mikasa? Eren really wasn't positive himself. Yeah, sure, in the relief of the moment, he might have given her a kiss on the forehead, but that wasn't romantic so much as it was friendly.

_This is ridiculous, _he thought, _it's just Mikasa._ "Just" Mikasa. Yeah, right. That in itself was a laughable concept. There never had been and never would be a "just" when it came to Mikasa and he felt like an idiot for never having seen that before. In a split second, Eren decided that the only way he was going to talk to her. He had no idea what the hell he'd say to her, but he couldn't keep going on being so distracted by something as stupid as a kiss. As Eren turned a corner leading to the next hallway, he collided with another body and they both went tumbling to the floor.

"Sorry," the other voice said quickly, and Eren was rather surprised to realize that he recognized it. Armin had returned to the HQ a few days ago, but Eren hadn't seen much of him; he was very busy. In fact, Eren and his old friend hadn't really spoken at all since Armin had been given his new job.

"Long time no see," Eren told Armin, standing up and offering the blond a hand. Armin ignored it and stood up on his own, but managed to give Eren a smile.

"I'm sorry, Eren. I'm not avoiding you. It's been really hectic, though I'm sure Mikasa has told told you a lot of what's going on." Eren shrugged his shoulders.

"Nah, not really. She's better at keep secrets than you think." Although that surprised Armin to a degree, he was also relieved. It wasn't that he mistrusted Eren, it was just that, in his eyes, the fewer people who knew about the details of those Captain meetings, the safer it was for them, especially if there was a double agent among them. "So, what the hell _is_ going on?" he asked.

"Right now, nothing," Armin said, answering his friend as honestly as he could. "In a few months we will leave for an expedition, but we still have some few arrangements to make and Mikasa needs some time to rest." When he mentioned Mikasa's injury, Eren grew quiet and Armin could see something that resembled guilt in his turquoise eyes. Armin frowned at him. "She's hurt pretty badly, isn't she?" Eren's gaze fell to the ground.

"Yeah... She won't admit it, but she's in pain." A small grin tugged at Armin's lips.

"She's hellbent on coming with us. I bet if we left today, she'd find some way to follow." The brunette rolled his eyes.

"Please, don't give her any ideas." A comfortable silence fell between the friends, but Armin could tell something still wasn't right with Eren - his face was just as troubled as it had been moments ago. Eren got angry, but he was rarely bothered by thoughts, so Armin knew it was cause for some kind of alarm.

"Is something else wrong with her?" Armin asked. The dark-haired boy shrugged.

"It's not really that something is wrong with her. She just said something." He paused. "During the fight, before Annie saved us." Armin could already tell the direction this conversation was going, but he played dumb for Eren's sake. "

"What did she say?"

"First, she thanked me for a lot of stuff," Eren muttered. "You know, for saving her when we were kids and giving her my scarf."

"Really?" Armin tried to pretend he was even remotely surprised by what Eren was saying.

"Yeah," he continued awkwardly, "then she kissed me and told me that she loved me."

"Oh." Eren gave his blond friend a somewhat irritated look.

"You don't sound very surprised." Armin had to suppress the urge to groan.

"I'm not, Eren. I've known this for ages. Really, I think you're the_ only_ person that Mikasa has ever met that hasn't seen it. It's painfully obvious."

"Oh, that's great," Eren muttered. "What the hell should I do? All I can think about is that look she gave me. It was weird, like she knew we were both going to die, yet in the end she was just really happy to be together with me."

"I think you need to tell her this, not me."

"Yeah, I guess," Eren said, uncertainly strong in his voice. "Thanks." He turned to leave. As Eren turned to leave, Armin grabbed his arm.

"By the way," he told him, unable to hide the grin that had already formed on his face, "feel free to express your undying love for each other in any way you want to. You have permission from the Commander." Eren's face flushed blood-red.

"Armin, what the fuck is wrong with you!?" he snapped. "I'm going there to talk to her, not..._ that_." The blond's face was annoyingly innocent.

"Really, Eren, it's not my fault if you misinterpret my words in a sexual way."

"Oh, shut the hell up," he grumbled, storming past Armin. "Go be a smartass to Annie, see how that far gets you."

"I really have no idea what you're talking about!" Armin called with a laugh, as Eren was practically sprinting away from his friend.

_Took you long enough, _he thought, highly amused, as Eren disappeared completely down the dimly lit hallway. None of this conversation had come as even a slight shock to him. Armin had seen the devotion Mikasa had for Eren since the day Eren had introduced the two of them, as he had known that it would take a while for his bullheaded friend to see what was obvious to everyone else, but, really_, twelve years_?

Mikasa truly had the patience of a saint.


	10. Chapter 10

By the time Eren made it to the room where Mikasa had been staying, he still had traces of the embarrassed flushed on his cheek that Armin had caused.

"Damn smartass," he muttered under his breath. He had made this entire situation beyond awkward before Eren had ever opened his mouth to speak to Mikasa and, knowing Armin, he was fully aware of that and was probably laughing about it at that very moment. Making a mental to note to get the blonde back for this later, Eren instead turned his focus to the matter at hand, one that he wanted nothing to do with.

Slowly, he cracked the door open, praying that Mikasa was sleeping. It was rather late and it would be the best case for scenario for him. A miniscule amount of light from the hallway illuminated her china-pale skin for a moment before Eren quickly closed the door behind him as to not wake her. Moving as quietly as possible, he made his way over to the wooden chair already set by her bedtime. From the moonlight filtering through the window, Eren could see her face with quite a bit of clarity.

The expression she wore in her sleep was peaceful and more at ease than Eren had seen it in a very long time. The last time he'd seen that look was when they were children, when Mikasa would have nightmares and climb into his bed in the middle of the night and would fall asleep in his arms. In a way, he couldn't believe how utterly blind and stupid he'd been. Armin was right; Mikasa had always loved him. Ever since he'd stepped in that cabin all those years ago, they'd been bound together by something far stronger than friendship, or even family.

He had saved her life, and she'd always be grateful for that, but Eren could see now that her feelings weren't just gratitude. Ever since they were kids, he had been the one she'd turned to, the one that she sought comfort and peace in. How could he ever have thought that her feelings for him were triggered by nothing more than a debt ? Eren shook his head pathetically and looked down at her again, this time noticing how battle-worn she really was. Her entire face was covered in marks that were normally unnoticeable, but up close stood out dramatically in the moonlight. He made a conscious effort to not look at the ravine of a scar just under her left eye, because it still made him feel like shit seeing it.

"Just how many of those did you get protecting me?" he muttered under his breath, and felt his voice catch in his throat when his words apparently woke her, for she began stirring. The first emotion to come over Mikasa's face was concern, as she was clearly not expecting to see Eren to sitting over her at this time of night watching her sleep.

"Eren?" she asked, sitting up so quickly that she looked like she had plans on her mind to jump out of bed. "What's going on?"

"Take it easy," he told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Nothing is going on. I came here to talk to you." Eren could tell by the look on her face that she believed him and she slowly slumped back against the headrest. A somewhat awkward silence fell between them. At least, Eren found it awkward. Mikasa's face was somewhat curious, but she didn't pressure him into saying anything. What was he supposed to say her? After all these years, the revelation of just how horrible he had been to Mikasa had hit him hard. How did he even begin to bring that up?

"I'm sorry," he finally muttered, to which Mikasa's black eyes widened in shock.

"Eren, what are you-"

"Don't ask me what I'm apologizing for," he snapped. "You _know _why. I've been a complete ass to you, Mikasa." The Asian girl didn't say anything, but her face looked rather bewildered. Clearly, she had not been expecting an apology, of all things and even Mikasa was unable to hide her shock of hearing such a thing come from Eren Jaeger's mouth. His turquoise eyes closed with a sigh. "I was too distracted by other things to see it. I always thought that you only tried to protect me because you felt like you had to, because I was always weaker than you." Mikasa just continued to watch him carefully, but opted to remain quiet.

"The truth is, Mikasa," he continued, "I was never angry at you. I was mad at myself. It was always you having to protect me, and I hated myself for it. I still do."

"Eren..." she said softly, at a loss for words to respond to what he was saying. Eren leaned in a bit closer to her, looking Mikasa dead in the eyes.

"I'm sorry. All you ever did was care about me, and I treated you like shit for it. You didn't deserve it." For several minutes, a silence fell between the two of them.

"What are you saying, Eren?" Mikasa finally asked.

"That I love you." Eren spoke the words before he even considered the impact of them but, from the second they left his lips, he didn't regret them. They felt so right and he knew, in that instance, that they were true. Before Mikasa could respond to that, Eren had crossed over to the bed she was seated on and, in one motion, he forced his mouth upon hers. For a few seconds, Mikasa didn't react and Eren's lips did all he work. After the initial shock of the unexpected intrusion, her emotions started to kick in. With her heart beating against her ribcage relentlessly, Mikasa's arms went around Eren's neck and she pulled herself against him tighter.

She began to kiss him back, finding that she was enjoying it far more than she enjoyed their first kiss. This time, it was less desperate and more romantic, spurred on by passion on both sides and not just Mikasa. After when felt like mere seconds to both of them, the lovers had to part for breath. As soon as air had filled her lungs, Mikasa initiated the kiss for a second time, this time laying on her back and pulling Eren down with her. Her fingers tangled in his dark brown locks, forcing his head tighter against hers. When they separated for the second time, Eren looked down into her black eyes, realizing what she wanted as her hands traced down the front of his shirt.

"Are you sure you want that?" he asked her quietly, to which Mikasa nodded.

"Yes. I'm ready for it." She had been ready for a long time. Eren hovered over Mikasa, pressing his forehead against hers as she felt his hand slowly trail up her leg, starting at her calf and getting closer to her inner thigh. Mikasa's cheeks and nose burned bright red with a blush when Eren's fingers moved past the end of the sleeping gown she was wearing and made contact with her underpants. He bent down and delivered his lips down onto hers again as he penetrated the tender area, making fast, constant motions with his hands.

Mikasa moaned into his mouth, her entire body shaking with pleasure. While he continued to stimulate her down below, Eren's other hand wrapped around one of her clenched fist and her healthy foot dug deeply into the mattress. During one of her whimpers, Eren's tongue forced it's way into her mouth. Mikasa was feeling too many different sensations at once to keep any track of time or even formulate coherent thought, but she didn't want Eren to stop what he was doing, either. Finally, his hand was removed and he raised himself up higher above about her, a smile that she found extremely attractive on his face.

"You are beautiful when you blush like that," he told her. The flush on Mikasa's face deepened, but she only panted in response to his compliment, offering him a smile. Grasping the edge of the gown, he began to undress her. It only took one swift tug of the garment to carelessly rip it over head toss it aside. When Eren saw Mikasa's body for the first time, he couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious; she had abs that would put any bodybuilder to shame. It was no wonder she kicked literally everyone's ass.

Eren then moved to his own clothes, removing them until they were both naked. Mikasa could feel her face grow ever redder as, now that he was without any kind of pants to hide just how much he was enjoying her company in this instance. Before getting into position at the base of her hips, Eren's teal eyes lingered on the last piece of clothing that either of them was wearing: Mikasa's scarf. When Eren had given her the damn thing all those years ago, he hadn't even considered the emotional impact of such a simple action. At the time, he had just wanted her to feel warm, to feel like she didn't have worry or be scared anymore. He wanted to help her to forget the horrors of what she'd seen that night. Now, looking back on it, it had been far more than just a gift for her. He now realized that to Mikasa, the simple piece of fabric symbolized far, far more than what Eren had been thinking when he threw it around her head. Eren grasped the frayed edge of the scarf in his hands tightly, running his fingers across the worn and faded material. A small smile tugged at the ends of his lips and he looked down into Mikasa's eyes.

"What?" Eren just shook his head before gently pulling it off her neck and carefully setting the precious garment aside .

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Normally, Eren wouldn't have been nearly as careful as he was being, because he really wanted this, but he also didn't want to hurt her. He'd be damned if he just went ahead and did this without considering her feelings, though it was clear to him that she was just as eager for this as he was. A single nod from Mikasa was all he needed to get started.

As Eren began to slowly slide into her opening, Mikasa felt her breath catch in her throat. It was more painful than she expected and a single tear from each eye. Her body trembled slightly as she turned her head to the side, trying to hide the discomfort from him. When he finally filled her, Eren grabbed her face in his hands gently and brought his lips down onto her flushed cheeks, soaking up the tears with his kiss. Looking down at her uncharacteristically red face, he could tell by the pure elation and joy in her eyes that she was enjoying this, despite the pain she was clearly in.

He took it slow in the beginning, making sure that the first few thrusts of his hips were slow and gave Mikasa time to adjust to the new feeling. It took all the restraint he possessed to keep that gentle pace, but if there was one thing Eren wanted to do through this, it was make her the happiest girl on the planet, and if he got too aggressive with her, this memory would have the opposite impact. Gradually, he picked up the pace. Pleasured moans flowed past Mikasa's mouth almost nonstop. Grunts from Eren accompanied the elated noises.

Compared to Eren, Mikasa's face remained more composed during the whole act. Apparent from the bright-red blush permanently imprinted on her nose and cheeks and the sounds she was making as a result of Eren's actions, he kept her emotions in check. In relativity, she was overwhelmed by the mix of sensations and feelings bombarding from every direction at once. Every nerve in her body was on fire, burning with the pleasure of desire she'd always held for this moment, as well as the satisfaction of finally getting it. It was everything she'd ever imagined. The look on Eren's face, the feeling of his warm body pressed up against hers as he barely hovered over her, the feeling of her own heartbeat hammering against her chest, the hot atmosphere that had surrounded both of them – it was all perfect.

Suddenly, Eren let out a shout as he came. Seconds later, Mikasa felt herself reach a new level of pleasure and she mirrored his reaction, though a bit more quietly. Eren silenced her whimpers with his lips before gently rolling off of her and drawing Mikasa up into a hug.

"I love you so much, Mikasa," he breathed, holding her tight against his body. In that instant, all the composure and Mikasa had been holding back resurfaced, and she let herself cry. In the last several minutes, she had just received everything she had ever wanted in her life, and knowing that was overwhelming. All those years of her life spent chasing this dream that one day she and Eren would be together finally came to fruition. Never again would she have to worry about being alone. Mikasa buried her tear-soaked face into Eren's neck with a smile.

"I love you, too."

* * *

_***ridiculously long apologetic author's note incoming***_

_**First of all, I'm sorry that is is a little short, but I wanted to keep this chapter centered around this moment. Secondly, yeah, I know that this was a lot more detailed than the Aruani scene, and I apologize to Aruani fans that might feel a bit annoyed, but Eremika is my personal OTP and I'm far more passionate about it. The Aruani sex scene was for me to get used to the idea of writing simple sex, but I wanted to go more all—out with this one. I hope you understand. To be honest, sex-writing is the topic I am the most insecure about and I never feel like I do a good job with it, that's why this fanfiction is the first where I've really tried it. So, feedback on it is much appreciated.**_


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